War of the Soul
by KATTALNUVA
Summary: Back by popular demand, sequel to The Man with The Black Charizard. The Man with the Black Charizard is still at large, Giovanni has escaped, but they nothing compared to what lies ahead. Ash Ketchum is about to face his greatest challenge yet. This following predates the release of Generation VI, and has been modified from it's original version to improve the story.
1. The Mission

**Introduction**

**After his capture of the seemingly unstoppable Juggernaut Pokémon Omegamoah, Ash Ketchum, the regional Pokémon League Champion of Kanto organized a tournament where he competed against trainers from around the world to raise money to rebuild Cerulean City and the Oak Pokémon Research Lab, which had both been destroyed by Omegamoah while under the control of Team Rocket.**

**Before being taken into custody by the Pokémon G-Men, Team Rocket's leader Giovanni had lost to Ash in a Pokémon battle. With his crime empire in shambles and having been beaten by a teenage boy, Giovanni hired the one man who could publicly humiliate Ash in a Pokémon battle and retrieve Omegamoah, the Man with the Black Charizard, a mysterious mercenary known for putting his Pokémon through potentially fatal experiments to make them more powerful than what is thought possible.**

**After facing a gauntlet of his disciples, Ash came face to face with the Man with the Black Charizard himself. Despite his best efforts, five of Ash's Pokémon were defeated effortlessly by an augmented Kabutops, the weakest of the mercenary's Pokémon. When all seemed lost Ash called on Omegamoah for the first time, and fortunately was able to control the beast, who then beat the augmented Kabutops with one blow, and then managed to fight and emerge victorious over the remaining five Pokémon, with a little help from Pikachu. Nevertheless the whole world began to think differently about Ash when the Man with the Black Charizard revealed that he was Ash' long lost father.**

**Shortly afterward, Ash returned to Pallet Town and unable to wait for a DNA test proceeded to dig up his father's undisturbed grave, but found it empty. Upon his return home Ash was comforted by his longtime friend Misty, and they shared their first kiss.**

**Months have passed… Some of Ash's fans remain loyal, but just as many have turned on him. Despite this Ash has found depth and strength in his friends, but mostly Misty. And he'll need all the help he can get because the Man with the Black Charizard is still at large, Giovanni has escaped from prison and plans to rebuild Team Rocket, but above all something is about to happen that will add a whole new dimension to Ash's troubles.**

It is said that the Pokémon Celebi only appears in times of peace. That theory was proven wrong a few weeks ago, but this was likely because the legendary Pokémon knew its powers were needed.

"He's coming, there isn't any time left." said Cynthia "Adena, you know what you need to do."

Adena was one of the few people to ever have the privilege of training with someone like Cynthia, but unlike her mentor she was the only person in the world to possess not one, but two legendary Pokémon during her lifetime.

"I go back in time, find Ash Ketchum, and stop the world from going to hell."

"Do you understand the risks, even if you succeed?"

"What's my life against the millions I can save? These Pokémon came to me; I intend to prove myself worthy of having them."

Cynthia smiled.

"Your mother would be so proud of you, as am I. Remember, the timeline is going to change no matter what you do, but you need to try and keep the distortion to a minimum. I doubt things can get any worse than they are right now, but we'd better not risk it. Now go."

"Alright. I choose you, Celebi!"

"Bi!"

Most people go their whole lives without ever seeing a Pokémon like Celebi, but not only did Adena have one in her possession, it was also a different color.

"Celebi, I need you to take me back before any of this happened, a few days before Team Rocket's last stand. Can you do that?"

Celebi nodded.

"Okay, do it."

"Bi!"

Celebi and Adena vanished in a bright flash of light just as an army of flying Pokémon blacked out the sky.


	2. Ash's Dream

_"Pi-ka-CHU!"_

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Pikachu blasted Omegamoah with a Thunderbolt attack, but the juggernaut _Pokémon shook it off and countered with a fierce Flamethrower. Pikachu leapt into the air to dodge the attack and attempted to attack with his Iron Tail, but Omegamoah countered with Night Shade. Omegamoah then stomped over to where Pikachu was and looked like he was about to step on him, but just smiled instead._

_"That'll do for today." said Ash._

_Ash had to give Pikachu some Super Potion before they set off. They had been training hard all day in the mountains._

_"Are you okay buddy?"_

_"Pi-ka."_

_"Sorry about that, but this is the only way we're going to get strong enough to fight… his… Pokémon."_

_Since his slim victory, which was really a fluke when you thought about it, Ash had begun training Pikachu and his other Pokémon rigorously. Omegamoah was the only member of his team that was strong enough to go head to toe with the pumped up specimens used by the Man with the Black Charizard. Torterra, Blastoise, Charizard, Garchomp, and Pikachu were beaten effortlessly by the weakest member of his team. Omegamoah may have been able to hold his own for most of the fight, but Ash knew from experience that a trainer could never rely on the power of a single Pokémon. For weeks he had been pitting his Pokémon against Omegamoah, as a result they were getting a little stronger every day, but it just wasn't happening fast enough._

_ "You can take tomorrow off Pikachu; I'll work on the others."_

_"Pika…"_

_Whenever Pikachu made that face it meant he was hungry. Suddenly Ash realized just how hungry he was himself._

_"Well no wonder!" he said looking at his watch "We've been out here nearly… all day."_

_By the time they reached the bottom of the mountain the sun had set. Ash was actually glad for this, because it meant he probably wouldn't meet anyone on the way home. In the past month he had received sixteen angry emails, and someone had planted a red paint bomb on his front porch. It was because of things like this that Misty's sisters had allowed him to take leave of playing the prince in their musicals. He could only wonder how it was going after they were attacked by… him… in their first show._

_"They didn't blame me for what happened… so why does everyone else?"_

_ Ash and Pikachu didn't meet anyone on the way home. There were no lights on in the house so everyone must've been asleep. Before he went inside he checked the perimeter for more paint bombs. It wasn't until he went inside and got Pikachu a can of Brock's Pokémon food that he remembered to set the alarm._

_"As if… he… couldn't just get in without springing it anyway."_

_Omegamoah was arguably the strongest Pokémon in the world, and Ash had the only existing member of the species. It had been created by Team Rocket for their ambitions of world domination, and they had used it to destroy Professor Oak's lab and Cerulean City just to prove a point. He was so powerful that it took the combined efforts of Ash and friends, an entire battalion of Pokémon G-Men, and Mewtwo to bring him down. Mewtwo had to create a special new Poké Ball called the Omega Ball to contain him, and he gave it to Ash because he felt he was the only person who wouldn't abuse Omegamoah's power. Because of this, and the episode at the Cerulean Gym, security had become a priority at the Ketchum residence.__At first Ash kept Omegamoah with Professor Oak, but since the battle in the Cerulean Gym he seldom let the Omega Ball out of his sight._

_ After throwing a small meal together and eating it Ash quietly climbed up the stairs to his room, stripped down to his boxers, fell into bed and went to sleep almost instantly. He found himself in a dark room with nothing inside but a mirror. He walked over to it, but instead of seeing his reflection he saw a man dressed head to toe in body armor and wearing a strange mask._

_"NO!"_

_Without giving it a second thought, Ash smashed the mirror with his fist._

_"Didn't anyone ever tell you its bad luck to break a mirror?"_

_The voice Ash heard sounded deep and carried the wisdom of ages. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, when it faded Ash couldn't believe his eyes._

_"Arceus!"_

_Arceus was the Alpha __Pokémon, The Original One, and according to legend was the one who created the Pokémon world. Ash hadn't seen this legendary Pokémon since his adventures in Sinnoh, so why was he dreaming about it right now._

_"I have been watching you for some time… You have been training your Pokémon harder than ever, but I can't help but wonder…why?"_

_"If you've really been watching me then you should know the answer to that already…"_

_"SILENCE!"_

_Ash knew from experience that getting Arceus angry was a bad idea._

_"Like most people in the world… you desire power."_

_"It's not like that!"_

_Arceus didn't scream this time; the look on his face told Ash all he needed to know._

_"Your intentions are of no matter… Even the noblest of beings can be corrupted by the desire for greater power. You must be cautious, or you will descend down the same dark path as your father… Yes Ketchum, he is your father, and the sooner you accept that the better off you'll be."_

_Ash opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. It didn't really matter because it seemed like Arceus was reading his mind._

_"Your lady friend was right about one thing… It matters not where you come from… what matters is what you choose to do with your own life… You're coming to a crossroad Ketchum… soon you'll have some very consequential choices to make. You will have to decide what is really important to you… Will you place your personal ambitions over the needs of others and the safety of your Pokémon?"_

_Ash had dreamed of being the world's greatest Pokémon Master since he was old enough to think, but he would never go as far as… he… did._

_"No… never."_

_"We shall see…" said Arceus "And we shall see if Mewtwo was right to give you that Poké Ball."_

_ Without another word Arceus was gone, but moments later two more Pokémon appeared in his place._

_"Dialga! Palkia!"_

_Before Ash could say anything else the whole world around him began to spin out of control into a vortex of blurred colors. It was then that he noticed the eyes of both legendary Pokémon were glowing. Together Dialga and Palkia had the power to bend time and space. Ash couldn't imagine what they were doing or what their intentions were. Suddenly everything just stopped._

_"NO!"_

_Ash and the two legendary Pokémon behind him were suspended in midair. He had no idea how high they were, but they could see all of Kanto, and it was in ruins._

_"What did you do?!" demanded Ash._

_But the duo didn't answer. Ash turned around for another look at the destroyed region, but it was gone. Instead he found himself in a dark and eerie dungeon._

_"What's this?!"_

_Once again Dialga and Palkia made no reply, but then Ash heard a weak and muffled voice coming from the shadows._

_"lllllllpppppp eeeeeeee…"_

_"Who's there?!"_

_"lllllllpppppp eeeeeeee…"_

_"Hang on! I'm coming!"_

_Ash ran into the darkness until he came upon a sight that stopped him dead in his tracks._

_"Oh… my… god…"_

_There was a young girl chained to the wall. She was completely naked and her body was covered with bruises and scars. Ash knew that he had seen her before, but it took him a minute to remember who she was. When he did he ran over and took her in his arms._

_"Melody?!"_

_The last time Ash saw Melody was years ago on Shamouti Island. He had completely forgotten that she ever existed until he received a call from her after he won at the Indigo Conference. In the picture she had sent him she looked so full of life, now she looked like she was on the verge of death._

_"Who did this to you?!"_

_She looked at him, but her eyes were sightless. She opened her mouth and Ash gasped._

_"yyyyyy ong… eeee ooookk yyyyyyy ong…"_

_More voices filled the room and Ash realized they weren't alone. In another corner of the room was Jasmine the Olivine City Gym Leader, Anabel who was one of the Frontier Brains, and many more young women whom he had never seen before in his life._

_ Ash ran back to the place where Dialga and Palkia were waiting for him._

_"Tell me! Who is responsible for this?!"_

_Suddenly the wretched room vanished before Ash's eyes; only to be replaced with utter blackness stretching on in every direction as far as the eye could see._

_"Where are we? What is this?!"_

_But Dialga and Palkia were gone. For about ten minutes Ash just ran around in the darkness calling their names, that's when he heard it. He wasn't alone in this void because he could hear the sound of someone or something breathing real hard. He turned in the direction he heard the noise and saw two fiery blue eyes piercing the darkness. He hoped it was Dialga or Palkia, but neither emerged from the shadows. At first Ash thought it was him… but the armor this man was wearing was completely different, not to mention he was wearing a flowing black and purple cape._

_"Who the devil are you?!"_

_The voice that came from behind the person's mask was deep and menacing. It sounded as if Death himself had walked into the room._

_"I am more than you are… and more than anyone has ever been or will ever be…"_

_Maybe it was just Ash's imagination, but it seemed to get a lot colder._

_"And I'm unimpressed."_

_Ash reached for one of his Poké Balls, but realized that he didn't have any with him._

_"Damn it…"_

_The masked man raised his hand and Ash felt like he had been struck by some invisible bolt of lightning._

_"AAAAGGHHHH!"_

_Ash crumbled to ground in pain._

_"Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!"_

_He began to move toward the place where Ash was lying._

_"He doesn't care…"_

_Ash struggled to his feet and began to run. The person behind him made no attempt to quicken his pace; he just kept walking as if he owned the world. Ash on the other hand kept running and running, but the blackness only grew thicker. Finally he stumbled over something and fell down. He struggled to get up but then he heard a woman screaming. It was a cry of such sorrow that only ever came from a woman's mouth when they had lost someone who was in their very soul._

_"Misty! Where are you?! Misty!"_

_Ash finally came to his sense and saw that the armored man was looking him right in the eye and was so close he could spit on him._

_"You can never escape me…"_

_BOOM!_


	3. Surprise

_ "NO!"_

_Ash was relieved to find himself in his bedroom._

_"The whole thing was just a dream? What was in that meal I cooked?"_

_Judging by how quiet it was, Ash could safely assume no one else was awake. It was about time to head out for training, so he figured he'd let Pikachu sleep while he showered and threw together a quick breakfast. After that he set off into the mountains just as the sun began to rise._

_ "Okay… Which training exercise should we do today?"_

_Lately Ash had been training Omegamoah as well as his other Pokémon. In a matter of weeks he would be battling Cynthia, the champion of the Sinnoh region, who had been interested in battling Omegamoah for some time. Cynthia was going to be allowed six Pokémon, where Ash would only be allowed to use Omegamoah. During Ash's battle with… him… Omegamoah was able to take out an augmented Pokémon with one punch, but he couldn't afford to get overconfident when battling a trainer of Cynthia's caliber. Videos of the battle for Pallet Town and the fight in the Cerulean Gym were both on the internet. Cynthia would have no doubt studied them and come up with her own way to beat Omegamoah. Ash figured he would just have to try that much harder._

"Okay big guy…" said Ash looking at Omegamoah "Let's see how well you can take a beating. I choose Charizard, Garchomp, Feraligatr, and Snorlax!"

Omegamoah had been more than capable of dealing with all these opponents individually, now it was time to see how well he did when he fought them all at once.

"On three… one… two… three!"

Snorlax charged and started to do a Rollout attack, but when he got too close Omegamoah just sent him flying in the opposite direction with a Focus Punch. Feraligatr countered by using his Superpower to send Snorlax back the other way. Omegamoah ducked and rolled out of the way so Snorlax was sent ramming through a row of trees. He then got up and blasted Feraligatr with a Thunderbolt attack. Feraligatr tried to shield himself from with Protect, but didn't raise the barrier in time. Garchomp and Charizard used the opportunity to attack from behind with massive Fire Blasts. Omegamoah turned around and attempted to blast them both with a Hydro Pump, but Charizard flew into the sky and Garchomp dug underground.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

For a moment Omegamoah looked like he was trying to decide which opponent to go after first. Then he leapt up into the air after Charizard, who countered with a Dragon Rage attack that sent him crashing back to the ground. Garchomp immediately leapt out of the ground and attacked with another Fire Blast.

"Strategy and teamwork… If we keep this up we'll be able to win the Indigo Conference two years in a row."

Omegamoah's greatest strength was his ability to adapt to anything he fought, that is to say after being attacked by an opponent he could change his type and abilities to best suit his needs. Ash and the others were ignorant of this ability when they first fought him so he was practically invincible, but a special ability you know about is one you can use to your advantage. In this particular case Charizard had used a dragon type attack. Naturally Omegamoah had changed into a steel type, which was the only kind of _Pokémon that was resistant to dragon type attacks. Garchomp had followed up with a powerful fire type attack, which was one of a steel type's few weaknesses. _Ash and friends had done something similar during the battle for Pallet Town, and… he… had also done so during the battle in the Cerulean Gym. Ash was confident Cynthia would do the same thing.

Omegamoah got up and struck Garchomp with an Ice Punch. Charizard went into a dive-bomb and slashed him across the face with a Dragon Claw attack, then span around to attack with Overheat, but Omegamoah shielded himself with Protect.

"The big guy is learning…"

"Pika-chu."

Omegamoah struck Charizard with a Hydro Pump that brought him to the ground. Surprisingly Charizard got up and began to attack viciously.

"Whoa! Time out!"

"Pi-ka-CHU!"

Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack got the attention of both _Pokémon._

_"Maybe we should try and take it easy for a while…."_

_"And here I thought I was going to have to drag you back to town."_

_"Misty?! What are you doing up here?"_

_"I'm on orders from your mother to bring you home by any means necessary."_

_"This is kind of important."_

_"You've been spending fifteen hours a day up here in the mountains for over a week, you and your Pokémon need a little down time."_

_"I think Charizard and Omegamoah disagree with you."_

_"What about you Pikachu?"_

_"Pika!"_

_As usual Pikachu was siding with Misty._

_"This training session isn't over until I say it's over."_

_Without warning Misty came up to Ash and kissed him on the lips._

_"How about now?" she asked._

_"Well… I guess I could use a little R&R."_

_ "Since when is Charizard able to go head to toe with Omegamoah like that?" asked Misty as they made their way down the mountain._

_"He's been fighting like that for about a week. He's very determined."_

_Of all Ash's Pokémon, Charizard was clearly training the hardest. He was one of the best Pokémon on Ash's team, but he had been beaten with minimal effort in the fight against… him… Obviously the thing that the augmented Pokémon had hurt the most was Charizard's pride._

_"Did you forget anything?" asked Misty._

_"We were just going into the mountains for the day, not heading off to Shamouti Island or anything."_

_"I haven't thought about Shamouti Island for a very long time."_

_"It's hard to forget. That was a really crazy adventure."_

_"Last I checked Ash Ketchum; your whole life is full of really crazy adventures."_

_"True… but on how many of them have I actually saved the world?"_

_ When they made it back to the house Misty paused before they went in._

_"Are you sure you didn't forget anything?" she asked._

_"I'm certain, so why do you keep asking me that?"_

_"Well…"_

_Misty opened the door._

_"Surprise! Happy Birthday Ash!"_

_Ash had been so busy training that he had completely forgotten his own birthday. But that wasn't the only thing that surprised him. There was more than just his mother and Brock waiting for him._

_"May, Max, Dawn! What are you guys doing here? I'm not fighting Cynthia for a couple weeks."_

_"We just couldn't wait to see you." said Dawn giving him a hug._

_"And Max just couldn't wait to see Omegamoah." said May._

_"Hey you wanted to see him too!"_

_"Yeah, but I'm not talking about him every five minutes."_

_"Yeah all you talk about is contests every waking moment."_

_"Same old May and Max." whispered Ash._


	4. The Battle Everyone is Talking About

_ On an island far south of Kanto, whatever was left of Team Rocket was gathering in their fallback outpost. Most of them had been picked up by the G-Men during the raid on their headquarters. Giovanni made it clear when they were planning the breakout that they couldn't waste their time worrying about the little fish. Now all the Rocket Elites were gathered in Giovanni's office to plan their next move._

_"What's the situation 009?"_

_"It's as we feared. The G-Men have both the Ketchum residence and the Oak Pokémon Research Lab under constant surveillance. Wherever Omegamoah is being kept it would be impractical to try and steal it."_

_"That's unacceptable." said Giovanni._

_"I know, I'm just telling you the facts."_

_"I hate to point out the obvious, but why don't we just make another Omegamoah, one even more powerful than the first?" asked another one of the Elites._

_"Just make another one? Oh yeah, real fucking original!" bellowed Giovanni._

_"It's just a suggestion."_

_"Making another Omegamoah would cost time and money, two things we don't have! The blasted Man with the Black Charizard was supposed to get him for us but failed miserably!"_

_"I guess we really did create the ultimate Pokémon." said another rocket half laughing._

_"A lot of good that does us if it's in the hands of that little brat Ketchum!"_

_"If I may sir, our best chance of acquiring Omegamoah will be during the boy's match with the regional champion of Sinnoh."_

_"Would someone care to tell me why they're even having that battle?"_

_"She can battle me anytime."_

_For a minute everyone just stared at the Rocket in the room that made comment._

_"The battle is just a publicity stunt. Ketchum has had some bad PR since that little episode in the Cerulean Gym."_

_"And I thought my relatives were creepy."_

_"Do you honestly think the Sinnoh Champion has a chance against Omegamoah?"_

_"Well it is six against one, and a trainer of her skill…"_

_"He beat an augmented Pokémon with one blow, and then proceeded to fight five more."_

_"If you have a better alternative, please share it."_

_"So I assume the plan is to wait until the day of the match, assess the situation, infiltrate the facility, see if the Sinnoh Champion can weaken Omegamoah, capture him, and blow out of there."_

_"Sounds like a plan to me."_

_"And if she can't do anything against Omegamoah?"_

_"Then we'll just have to be unconventional, won't we."_

_ Time just flew by and the day of the big match came. The Omega Stadium was crowded with people; unfortunately most of them were apparently on Cynthia's side._

_"I don't understand why everyone is against Ash. He didn't do anything." said May._

_"Probably because his dead father turned out to be an infamous interregional criminal who wasn't really dead. And is still on the run" said Max._

"Be less helpful."

"Where the heck is Misty?"

"I think she had to go to the bathroom."

"Again?!" asked Dawn.

"Maybe she's sick or something."

"Then why didn't she just watch the match on TV?"

"I don't think she could miss this if she wanted to." said Brock.

"She wouldn't miss any of Ash's big battles, aren't they like… in love or something?" asked May.

"I think so." replied Brock "That would explain why he's been in such a good mood lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… After the incident at the Cerulean Gym he would go off into the mountains early in the morning every day to train and he wouldn't come home until it was really late at night. He still trains, but he's staying out less and less each day."

"Do you think Omegamoah can win?" asked Dawn.

"It might be six against one and Cynthia's _Pokémon are tough, but they aren't exactly augmented Pokémon… but knowing Cynthia she has some kind of strategy. I think it could go either way." said Max._

_ The match would be starting in about fifteen minutes, and as expected the stadium was full. That would either make the job either easier or harder._

_"I hate these wigs."_

_Ever since the Rocket breakout, the Pokémon G-Men had devoted their time to the search for Giovanni, and they had left no stone unturned. It was Domino's mission to infiltrate the stadium and find out what security measures were being taken. She was doing so wearing colored contact lenses and a long black wig. After walking around the interior and exterior of the stadium several times she went to the bathroom to make the call._

_"Neil this is Anna. We've got at least two dozen comets in the belt that look like asteroids."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"What do you think I'm talking about you dumbass?!"_

_"This is a secure line; you don't need to talk in code."_

_"I'm just following protocol; the boss wants this one done by the book. If anyone is going to screw this up it's not going to be me."_

_"Whatever… If I hear you correctly, you're saying there are at least two dozen G-Men in disguise guarding the place?"_

_"Yes, and if they have half a brain they all brought six Pokémon. We're going to need at least twice as many if we're going to keep them occupied and secure the objective at the same time."_

_"I'm not sure we can spare that many."_

_"The only thing that matters is the objective, the boss made it painfully clear that he doesn't care how many expendables we have to lose to get it."_

_"Alright… we'll get it done. When the opportunity presents itself give the signal and we'll take it from there."_

_"Copy that."_

_Giovanni's orders were for Domino to infiltrate the stadium, assess the situation, and then give the signal to attack when Omegamoah looked weak enough. After that she would blow out of there, after all Giovanni never said she had to help capture the beast. As soon as Omegamoah was secured upon one of the choppers they would leave, and any man who fell behind would be left behind._


	5. Ash vs Cynthia

Misty finally rejoined the others just as the crowd was really getting rowdy.

"Did I miss anything?"

"No, the match hasn't started yet, everyone is just getting a little impatient." said Brock.

"That's an awfully big milkshake." said May.

"What? I'm thirsty."

"Obviously." said Dawn.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Pallet's Omega Stadium, and what a day for a _Pokémon battle! Not a cloud in the sky! Today we will witness a match that is sure to go down in history. Not only are two Regional Champions going head to toe, one of them will be going up against the unbelievable might of Omegamoah!"_

_Those whole audience burst into applause._

_"Here he is the Regional Champion of Kanto and the Master of Omegamoah, Pallet's very own Ash Ketchum!"_

_When Ash entered the arena he got a mixed response from the audience. Some people cheered, but a good number booed him._

_"BOO YOUSELF!" bellowed Misty._

_"And here she is, the Regional Champion of Sinnoh, the amazing… the unconquerable… and incredibly sexy… Cynthia!"_

As Cynthia entered the arena she got a big round of applause from the audience.

"I love you Cynthia!"

"Take him down!"

"Destroy him!"

"These people are really pissing me off." said Misty.

"Whoa! Misty, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, I am calm!"

"Okay… I believe you."

"Ash Ketchum, it's been too long." said Cynthia.

"Are you being sarcastic?"

Cynthia noticed that one group of her fans was holding up a banner that a group of her fans were holding a banner telling her to "burn the bad seed".

"Don't listen to them. My grandmother once told me it doesn't matter where you come from, all that matters is where you choose to go, and so far I think you're on the right path."

"Uh… what?"

"Pika?"

"I'll explain later, right now let's do what we do best."

"Now you're making sense."

"Aren't you going to introduce the star of the show?"

"Certainly." replied Ash reaching for the Omega Ball "I choose you, Omegamoah!"

Omegamoah appeared and let out a loud roar.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Omegamoah was nowhere near as tall as he used to be, but he still scared anyone who didn't react with awe. Cynthia stood there like she didn't have a fear in the world.

"Hello big guy…"

From her place in the stands, Domino smiled.

"Primary objective has arrived."

"I'm curious…" said Cynthia "When Omegamoah came to Pallet Town he was over a hundred feet tall, but here he is only about the height of a Dragonite… how is that?"

"It's the Omega Ball." replied Ash "When I caught him it shrank him, kinda makes it easier to train him. Besides, we wouldn't want this to be too easy."

"Don't worry, it won't be."

"This match will be six on one! Sinnoh Champion Cynthia is allowed to use six _Pokémon, but Kanto Champion Ash is only allowed to use Omegamoah, but in all honesty I think this match could go either way. He may be outnumbered, but I think we can all agree that Omegamoah is one heck of Pokémon!"_

_"I don't believe it, Cynthia is acting like it's just another day at the beach." said May._

_"She'd never ever back down from a challenge." said Max "She wouldn't be much of a champion if she did."_

_"Six on one, Champion Cynthia may switch Pokémon whenever she wishes, no time limit, let the battle begin!" called the ref._

"Okay Omegamoah, let's see what you're made of." said Cynthia "I chose Roserade!"

Roserade appeared and the audience cheered.

"Come on… Roserade? What is that little flower going to do against Omegamoah?" asked Misty.

"I think she's using this first round to see just see if Omegamoah is as tough as everyone thinks."

"Roserade, use your **Magical Leaf**!"

Roserade held out its arms and released glowing light green leaves from the flowers at the end of its arms and fired them at Omegamoah, but it looked like they didn't even scratch him.

"Omegamoah, use your **Flamethrower**."

Omegamoah fired a jet stream of fire from his mouth and Roserade was consumed by it. When it was over she was charred black and fell to the ground.

"Roserade is unable to battle! Omegamoah is the winner!"

"That was quick." said Dawn.

"Cynthia definitely has her work cut out for her."

"Congratulations Ash, you're first person to knock out one of _Pokémon with one attack in a very long time… But don't let it go to your head. I choose Togekiss!"_

"And to follow up that brief but hot first round, Cynthia has opted for Togekiss! How will this jubilee _Pokémon fair against the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut?!"_

"Togekiss… I haven't seen one of those in a while."

"Togekiss, use your **Aura Sphere**!"

Togekiss put its wings together and created a light blue ball of energy, which it then fired at Omegamoah and struck him in the chest.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

In his base form Omegamoah was a half dark type _Pokémon, so it was no surprise that Omegamoah had taken a lot more damage from that attack than he did for Roserade's Magical Leaf. But Ash knew Cynthia wouldn't do the same thing twice since Omegamoah's ability to adapt was probably already working its magic. _

_"Omegamoah, use your __Ice Beam__!"_

_"Togekiss, __Extreme Speed__!"_

_Omegamoah fired several Ice Beams from his mouth, but Togekiss dodged them by zipping around the ring._

_"Now hit him with your __Fire Blast__!"_

_Togekiss got behind Omegamoah and fired a huge Fire Blast attack that struck him in the back._

"GRRRAAAAAOOOO!"

"Any particular reason she attacked him from behind?" asked Dawn.

"I think she's looking for a weak spot." said Brock "In the first round Cynthia confirmed that the direct approach is suicidal when fighting Omegamoah, it's going to take strategy to bring him down."

Omegamoah was powerful, but that wouldn't make any difference if he couldn't touch his opponent. Fortunately for Ash he knew there was at least one move in Omegamoah's arsenal that could solve this problem.

"Omegamoah, use your **Shock Wave**!"

Electricity danced across Omegamoah's dorsal fins and horns, and then he fired a huge burst that followed Togekiss like a guided missile. Any of Omegamoah's attacks alone were powerful, and since Togekiss was half a flying type the damage was doubled. It was more than enough to take him out.

"Togekiss is unable to battle! Omegamoah is the winner!"

Domino didn't like what she was seeing.

"_He's already taken out two of her____ Pokémon with minimal effort. At this rate the match won't last long… I guess that's what we get for trying to create the ultimate Pokémon… We'll just have to bring out the heavy artillery when the time comes."_

_ "Alright… I guess that was a good enough warm up." said Cynthia._

_"Did you hear that ladies and gentlemen?! Ash and Omegamoah just beat two of Cynthia's Pokémon effortlessly and it looks like she's ready for more!"_

_"Now that she's properly evaluated Omegamoah she's going to throw in the big guns." said Max._

_"He'll still beat her." said Misty "Just watch."_

_"I choose Milotic!"_

"It's the tender _Pokémon Milotic! Believed by many to be the most beautiful Pokémon of all!"_

_"She has beauty and brawn, as you'll soon see. Milotic, use your __Hydro Pump__!"_

"GEEEEEEEEEEYAH!"

_Since he had been hit by a water type attack, Ash was confident that Omegamoah would adapt to use the Water Absorb ability, but he knew Cynthia was too smart to use the same type of attack twice in a row._

_"Omegamoah, __Recover__!"_

_Just like that Omegamoah's wounds began to heal by themselves._

_"Now hit her with your __Shock Wave__!"_

_"Milotic, __Mirror Coat__!"_

_Omegamoah fired a powerful Shockwave attack, but Cynthia's Milotic raised a barrier that sent the attack flying back at him. Ash knew that when a Pokémon used Mirror Coat the amount of damage that would have been done was doubled… unless._

_"Omegamoah, __Protect__!"_

_Omegamoah raised a barrier that absorbed the attack._

_"Awesome! Protect neutralizes any attack thrown at the Pokémon in question, even if it's one of their own!"_

_"I told you…" said Misty "Cynthia may be good, but Ash is better."_

_"I wouldn't be too sure of that." said Max._

_"What's that supposed to mean mister?!"_

_"Whoa! Calm down! I'm just saying that Mirror Coat reflects all special attacks and doubles the damage dealt, and all the types of attacks that Milotic is weak against are special attacks."_

_"So Ash will just have Omegamoah protect himself."_

_"Protect may shield a Pokémon from any attack, but the odds of it succeeding get worse the more frequently it's used."_

_"Ash will find a way to beat it, just you wait!"_

_"Has she always been this enthusiastic, or is this something new?" asked Dawn._

_"She usually isn't this riled up… Then again I don't think she was in love with him before." whispered Brock._

_ "Milotic, use your __Dragon Pulse__!"_

Milotic's body became outlined in light green and released a pulse that it fired at Omegamoah. It was then that Ash realized this could only work to his advantage. Since he was hit by a dragon type attack Omegamoah would adapt into a steel type, which had very few weaknesses, and he doubted Milotic had any attacks in its arsenal that fit the bill.

"Omegamoah, use your…"

Ash quickly remembered that Cynthia's Milotic could use Mirror Coat. Cynthia was going to make up for not being able to use effective attacks by ricocheting Omegamoah's own attacks back at him.

"_There must be a way out."_

A few years ago Ash would have never found the answer in time, but after nearly a decade of being a _Pokémon trainer Ash had a solution almost instantly._

_"Omegamoah, use your __Night Shade__!"_

_Omegamoah fired two dark beams from his eyes that struck Milotic dead-on, the tender Pokémon cried in pain._

_"Clever." said Cynthia "But it will take more than one Night Shade attack to bring down my Milotic."_

_"I guess I'll just have to try a little harder, won't I?"_

_Cynthia knew from her research that Omegamoah must've turned into a steel type. Fortunately her Milotic had one attack that would be super effective against a steel type."_

_"Milotic, use your __Bulldoze__!"_

_Milotic covered its body with energy and flew like a bullet at Omegamoah._

_"Perfect… Omegamoah, use your __Thunder Fang__!"_

_When Milotic got too close Omegamoah caught her with his teeth, and then shocked her with electricity._

_"It's a fish fry!"_

_When Omegamoah was done he tossed Milotic aside._

_"Milotic is unable to battle! Omegamoah is the winner!"_

_ "Ladies and gentlemen, so far Omegamoah has gone against three of Cynthia's Pokémon and has come out on top! But how long can he keep this up?!"_

_"I choose you, Garchomp!"_

_"GAAAAAAAR!"_

_"Garchomp? Isn't that Cynthia's best Pokémon?" asked Misty._

_"Why isn't she saving her for last?" asked Dawn._

_"Maybe because that's just what Ash was expecting her to do." said Max "Going against Omegamoah isn't like any other battle."_

_"I think Max is right." said Brock "The only way to beat Omegamoah is to be unconventional."_

_"Omegamoah, use your __Ice Beam__!"_

_"Garchomp, __Dragon Rush__!"_

_Before Omegamoah had even fired his attack Garchomp was already on the move. She dodged sharply to the side and rammed into him full force._

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Omegamoah angrily tried to smack Garchomp with an Ice Punch, but she quickly jumped out of the way and countered with a Fire Blast. Omegamoah must've been burned because he began flailing around.

"GEEEEEEEEEEYAH! GEEEEEEEEEEYAH! GEEEEEEEEEEYAH!"

"Wow! That's some attack! We shouldn't expect anything less from the Sinnoh Champion's star _Pokémon!"_

_"Omegamoah, use your __Heal Bell__!"_

_Omegamoah may have been cured of his burn, but Ash could see that the speed of Cynthia's Garchomp was going to be a problem. He couldn't just use Shock Wave like he did for Togekiss because Garchomp was a ground type Pokémon. It was true that Garchomp had a double weakness to ice type attacks, but Garchomp's speed more than made up for that._

_"__Come on… I know I learned something in all my years as a Pokémon trainer."_

_The only way Ash was going to beat a trainer like Cynthia was if he could fight on her level. She had welcomed this challenge and hadn't lost her cool once. She had even used Omegamoah's ability to adapt against him._

_"Wait! That's it! Omegamoah, use your __Water Spout__!"_

_Omegamoah's body began to glow a light blue, then he opened his mouth and fired a fierce blast of water into the air._

_"What are you shooting at, the moon?"_

_"Not exactly…"_

_Water came raining down on the ring. Being half dragon Cynthia's Garchomp wasn't bothered by it._

_"Okay… What are they doing?" asked Dawn._

_"I have no idea." replied Max._

_"Now Omegamoah, use your __Ice Beam__!"_

_Omegamoah fired his attack, but Garchomp began running around the arena as fast as she could to dodge it._

_"You missed."_

_"Wasn't aiming at her."_

It was then that Cynthia had noticed that Omegamoah's Ice Beam had frozen the soaked arena.

"That's not a problem. Garchomp, **Fire Blast**!"

Garchomp inhaled to perform a Fire Blast, but moving her feet even a little bit cause her to slip on the ice and slide across the floor toward Omegamoah.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Omegamoah sent Garchomp flying into the wall with a powerful Ice Punch. Ash didn't need the ref to tell him that she was out.

"Garchomp is unable to battle! Omegamoah is the winner!"

"Just like that the Sinnoh Champion's most powerful _Pokémon goes down! It looks like it's all downhill from here folks!"_

_"What are you waiting for Domino? It's been four rounds, that thing has to be getting weak."_

_"Not yet, if you ask me that thing looks like it's still got some fight left in it. If we attack too early we'll get creamed."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Are you stupid or something?! Have you forgotten that Omegamoah has enough power to destroy an entire city?!"_

_"Then why aren't any of those Pokémon he's fighting dead?"_

_"Clearly this brat Ketchum is telling Omegamoah to pull his punches, but something tells me he won't be so generous with us. And don't call me again! Just wait for my signal."_

_ Cynthia's best Pokémon had been beaten, but if she had any fear or doubt she wasn't showing it._

_"Go __Spiritomb__!"_

_"The forbidden Pokémon? Well this ought to be interesting."_

_"Spiritomb, attack with Psychic!"_

_Spiritomb's eyes began to glow, and then Omegamoah was tossed into the wall like a ragdoll. He got back on his feet, but Ash could see that he was having a little trouble catching his breath. He couldn't let this drag out much longer._

_"Omegamoah, use your __Eruption__!"_

_"Okay, now they're just showing off." said May._

_"And what is it you do every time you're in a contest?" asked Max._

_Omegamoah opened his mouth and shot a geyser of fire at Spiritomb._

_"Spiritomb, __Smoke Screen__!"_

_Spiritomb opened its mouth and covered the whole arena with a thick layer of smoke. Omegamoah's attack penetrated the veil but Ash didn't hear any cries of pain._

_"Spiritomb, use your __Silver Wind__!"_

_Spiritomb opened its mouth and blew; its breath carried silver crescents that struck Omegamoah in the back._

"GRRRAAAAAOOOO!"

Fortunately for Ash the Silver Wind attack blew away the smoke.

_"Omegamoah, use your __Foresight__!"_

Omegamoah shot red beams from his eyes that struck Spiritomb.

"Foresight! Now Spiritomb is vulnerable to fighting attacks!"

"Omegamoah, attack with your **Focus Punch**!"

Omegamoah slammed his fist into Spiritomb knocking him out.

"Spiritomb is unable to battle! Omegamoah is the winner!"

"Ash just took out five of her _Pokémon, and Cynthia still hasn't lost her cool?" asked Dawn._

_"One would almost think she's enjoying this." said Brock._

_"I can't remember the last time I was backed into a corner like this… I forgot how much fun a real challenge can be." said Cynthia "But all good things must come to an end. Go Lucario!"_

_"It all comes down to this ladies and gentlemen! Lucario vs. Omegamoah! Who will emerge victorious?!"_

_"Ash is going to win! What kind of stupid question is that?!" bellowed Misty._

_"Do we need to put her on a leash or something?" asked May._

_"Well… I for one agree with her." said Dawn "I don't think that little thing is going to do much against Omegamoah."_

_"Size means nothing in a Pokémon battle." said Max "Or have you never seen Pikachu fight?"_

_"Lucario, attack with __Dragon Pulse__!"_

_Lucario put his hands together and formed a ball of turquoise energy and threw it at Omegamoah._

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

"We have to end this quickly. Omegamoah, use your **Flamethrower**!"

"Lucario, **Extreme Speed**!"

As Omegamoah fired a jet stream of fire from his mouth, Lucario ran out of the way.

"Now hit him with your Aura Sphere!"

Lucario put his hands together to form a blue ball that struck Omegamoah in the head. Omegamoah angrily tried blasting Lucario with more fire attacks, but it was too fast.

"Lucario, use **Psychic**!"

Lucario's eyes began to glow, then Omegamoah was sent into the wall.

"Well… She either hurt him or made him angry." said Brock.

Omegamoah jumped up and stomped on the ground, sending out a huge shockwave.

"Earthquake! Lucario, jump!"

Lucario leapt high into the air to dodge the attack.

"Now hit him with another **Aura Sphere**!"

While in the air Lucario formed another Aura Sphere that found its mark.

"Now use **Blaze Kick**!"

As Lucario came down he kicked Omegamoah hard in the gut.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Omegamoah stumbled to the ground supported only by one hand, the other clutching the place Lucario had kicked. He coughed up a lot of saliva.

"I didn't think he kicked him that hard…" said Cynthia.

"What's wrong with Omegamoah?" asked Misty.

"He looks like he's going to be sick." said Max.

Domino knew it was now or never. She started waving her fan for the Rocket watching her through his binoculars to see.

"The Pidgey has left the nest, Spearow is clear to engage."

"What?"

"Ho-Oh has flown the coop, Lugia can now pursue."

"What?"

"Jirachi… has awoken."

"Dude, what did I tell you about using speed when you're on the job?"

"You idiot, I mean it's time to attack!"

"Well why didn't you just say that?"

"FOR THE GLORY OF TEAM ROCKET!"

Out of nowhere at least forty Rockets, each wearing some kind of battle suit, came jumping over the stands and into the arena releasing their _Pokémon._

_"Uh oh…not good."_

_Omegamoah must've seen red or something, because he suddenly sprang up and attacked with a Flamethrower._

_"Shit! I thought she said this thing was weak!"_

_"Stop wasting time! Take it down!"_

_Omegamoah was fighting back as best he could, but it was clear he was too worn out from the battle with Cynthia's Pokémon._

_"Cynthia, I think we better call this match!"_

_"I agree!"_

_Amidst the chaos The G-Men who had been on stationed at the stadium quickly jumped into the ring and attempted to subdue the Rockets._

_"Get him out of here!"_

_"You don't have to tell me twice! Omegamoah, return!"_

_The Omega Ball opened and Omegamoah was drawn in by the vortex._

_"Get him!" bellowed one of the Rockets._

_"Pikachu, zap em!"_

_"Pi-ka-CHU!"_

_Much to Ash's surprise Pikachu's attack didn't do anything against the Rockets._

_"Shoot, their armor must be insulated."_

_"Don't you have more Pokémon on you?" asked Cynthia dodging a stray attack._

_"Oh right… duh. Go, everybody!"_

_"Lucario, you help out too!"_

_"We're not going to let them have all the fun are we?" asked May._

_"To hell we are!"_

_Misty, Brock, May, and Dawn all released their own Pokémon to combat the Rockets. Between them and G-Men the Rockets couldn't get anywhere near Ash and quickly found themselves outmatched._

_"There's too many of them! We need to pull out!"_

_"We're not going anywhere without Omegamoah, Giovanni will have our heads!"_

"These guys don't know when to quit." said Dawn.

"We can't waste time we waste with this nonsense! Let's get Omegamoah out of here before they get lucky!"

Covered by the G-Men, Ash and the others made for the exit.

"Stop them!"

One of the Rockets had their Golem throw a piece of rubble from the ring at them, and it struck Misty in the side of the head.

"Misty!"

Misty had fallen to the ground, and there was blood on the side of her head.

"She's just unconscious, but we need to get her to a hospital, now!"


	6. Rocket Elites

After Misty was safely escorted off the premises, Ash ran back into the fight fueled by anger. He charged across the ranks until he came to the Golem that hurled the rubble and the Rocket it belonged to.

"So, you decided to stay and play after all…"

"I never play, not with scum like you! Go Sceptile!"

Omegamoah was exhausted from the battle with Cynthia, so Ash was going to have to use his other Pokémon. Grass Pokémon had a huge advantage against half rock half ground Pokémon like Golem, but if the Rocket was worried then he wasn't showing it.

"You think just because you beat Jessie and James on a regular basis that you're a match for me? They were nothing but small time trash, we're the Rocket Elites!"

"So what? I beat your boss."

"Golem, **Rock Polish**!"

The Golem's body started to glow and crackle with energy. An almost universal trait of rock Pokémon was that they were slow, Rock Polish was supposed to help them overcome that weakness.

"_Let's see if he can keep up with Sceptile."_

"Golem, **Rollout**!"

"Sceptile, **Agility**!"

The Golem was fast, but Sceptile was faster.

"Now counter with **Leaf Blade**!"

Sceptile quickly turned around and slashed Golem across its shell. Despite its best efforts it was clear that the creature just couldn't keep up witth Sceptile.

"Err… Golem, **Explosion**!"

As Golem began gathering energy Sceptile immediately dashed in the opposite direction, it was well outside the blast range when the attack was released.

"Let's see how you handle this! Go Ninjask!"

"Nin-jask!"

"This isn't gonna be good."

Not only did Ninjask have the type advantage, Ash knew that it was one of the fastest Pokémon in the world.

"Ninjask, use **Fury Cutter**!"

"Sceptile, **Detect**!"

Sceptile did its best to dodge Ninjask's attacks, but the ninja Pokémon just kept getting faster and faster. Eventually it scored several punishing hits.

"Now finish it with **X-Scissor**!"

The attack was more than enough to take Sceptile out.

_"I need more than just type advantage."_

Ash was going to need a Pokemon that could actually hit Ninjask. Fortunately he had just the Pokémon for the job.

"Go Typhlosion!"

Typhlosion appeared with a mighty roar.

"Can't burn what you can't hit hotshot! Ninjask, **Agility**!"

"Typhlosion, **Swift**!"

It didn't matter how fast Ninjask was, Swift always found its target. Whenever Ninjask got too close, Typhlosion just protected himself with Flame Wheel.

"That's it! Ninjask, use your **Giga Impact**!"

"Typhlosion, counter with **Eruption**!"

Ninjask shot at Typhlosion like bullet, but now that he knew where it was coming from, he had no trouble hitting the insect with his most powerful attack.

"Err… go Poliwrath!"

"Poli-wraath!"

"Poliwrath, attack with **Water Pulse**!"

Poliwrath shot a ball of energy that struck Typhlosion dead-on.

"Typhlosion, counter with **Thunder Punch**!"

"Poliwrath, **Protect**!"

Poliwrath shielded itself in the nick of time and countered with a powerful Hydro Pump.

"Now finish it with **Dynamic Punch**!"

Poliwrath struck Typhlosion in the gut and sent him crumbling to the ground.

"Typhlosion return…"

Though Ash was doing his best to hide it, he was getting angrier with each passing second. He hadn't had as much time to train Typhlosion as well as some of the others, but he expected better than this.

"Pikachu, it's your turn! Show this trash and his overgrown tadpole what happens when they mess with our friends!"

"Pika-chuu!"

As soon as Pikachu leapt into the fray his eyes began to glow.

"So that's the famous Pikachu… I don't see what' so special. Poliwrath, hit it with **Dynamic Punch**!"

As Poliwrath flung its fist forward, it triped and fell flat on its face.

"What?!"

Ash had taught Pikachu to use Grass Knot years ago to help him deal with ground types, which were immune to Pikachu's electric attacks and weren't as affected by Iron Tail as rock types. But it worked just as well in situations like these.

"Pikachu, **Thunder**!"

Poliwrath was defenseless against one of Pikachu's most powerful attacks.

"Cheap trick! Go Hitmonchan!"

"Hitmon-chaaan!"

"Is that supposed to scare me? Pikachu and I have fought enemies infinitely scarier."

"Hitmonchan, **Fire Punch**!"

Hitmonchan threw several fire enhanced punches at Pikachu, but none found their mark.

"Pikach, Iron Tail!"

Pikachu jumped up in the air and smacked Hitmonchan in the face with his tail.

"Err… Himonchan, **Mega Punch**!"

Hitmonchan's punches continued to miss, and Pikachu countered.

"Bullet Punch! Mach Punch! Ice Punch! Sky Uppercut! Close Combat! Focus Punch!"

"CHU!"

That last Thunderbolt was enough to put Hitmonchan down for the count.

"Why you little… Go Chandelure!"

Ghost Pokémon were always tricky, and Ash was sure this one wouldn't be any different.

"Pikachu, **Thunderbolt**!"

"Chandelure, **Minimize**!"

"Pika-CHUUU!"

Before Pikachu's attack hit, Chandelure decreased in size and evaded the attack.

"**Confuse Ray**!"

Chandelure fired six golden orbs that enveloped Pikachu and then exploded, leaving him confused.

"Pikachu!"

"Chu-chu-chu…"

Pikachu looked very dizzy. He tried hitting Chandelure with more electric attacks, but none found their mark.

"Chandelure, **Flamethrower**!"

Pikachu was hit by a huge jet stream of fire. The pain was enough to knock his sense back into him. He attacked with a vicious Thunderbolt, but Chandelure refused to give in.

"**Night Shade**!"

"Chaaaaa!"

"Now finish it with **Fire Blast**!"

Pikachu was struck down by a star shaped burst of fire.

"Damn it…" said Ash under his breath "Go Krookodile!"

Krookodile was half dark type, one of the few things that ghost Pokémon are afraid of.

"Krookodile, **Dark Pulse**!"

"Chandeluer, **Night Shade**!"

The two attacks collided, but Krookodile's won out and knocked Chandelure back.

"**Crunch**!"

Krookodile rushed over and snapped at Chandelure with his teeth until he caught him, then he dug in deep and tossed him.

"Hit that handbag with your **Energy Ball**!"

Krookodile quickly dug underground and evaded the attack. He emerged right behind Chandelure.

"Now finish him with **Outrage**!"

Krookodile attacked viciously until Chandeluer fell.

"That's it! Time for the big gun! Go Haxorus!"

Haxorus appeared and gave a loud roar.

"Haxorus, **Surf**!"

"You've got to be kidding me."

Haxorus conjured a huge wave out of nowhere and road it, knocking Krookodile back about five yards. Krookodile got back up and lashed violently at the dragon, but it shielded itself with Protect.

"Finish it with another **Surf**!"

Haxorus conjured another wave and sent Krookodile flying even further. This time he stayed down.

"I've had enough of this!" yelled Ash "Go Crawdaunt!"

Crawdaunt appeared and started rapidly snapping its pincers.

"Seriously? You're using that overgrown lobster against my dragon?! Well then it's your funeral! Haxorus, **Dragon Claw**!"

Ash waited until the Haxorus was close enough.

"Crawdaunt, **Guillotine**!"

Crawdaunt's pincers began to glow, then once he was close enough he grabbed Haxorus by the throat and slammed him into the ground.

"Don't move!" said one of the G-Men pointing his Pokemon at the Rocket that Ash had been battling. Rockets were being apprehended all over the stadium.

"Not very climatic, but that's certainly one way to end a battle." said Cynthia.

Ash didn't look like he was in the mood to celebrate.

"You didn't leave with everyone else?"

"And miss all this?"

"Didn't I mop the floor with most of your Pokémon?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it mopping the floor. And any good trainer knows to bring plenty of potions when traveling… Looks like the G-Men have everything under control; I suggest we get lost before the media vultures show up."

"Shit, I forgot about Misty!"

"Don't worry; I'll give you a ride."

Ash tended to Pikachu as they drove to the hospital.

"_That was pathetic!" _he thought _"All that training with Omegamoah and we barely beat one of Giovanni's glorified attack dogs?! What are we supposed to do the next time… he… tries to steal Omegamoah?!"_

Ash had been doing everything he could to help train his Pokémon, but it looked like it just wasn't enough. It made him so mad.

"_That lowlife better hope that Misty is alright… because if she isn't."_

Once they arrived at the hospital Ash found the others in the waiting room. The sat there for two hours before they finally heard from the doctor.


	7. A Little Talk With Dad

The last thing Misty remembered was trying to escape the arena with the others, then something hit her in the head and everything went black.

"_First I get sick and now this… and to think I thought everything was going my way."_

Through the blackness Misty could swear she heard Ash calling her name.

"_I won't die… not now…"_

Though she wouldn't admit it, Misty had thought of Ash every day since they parted after the Silver Conference. At first she convinced herself it was only because he was a dear friend, but as the years passed it became clear that her feelings had blossomed into something more. It wasn't long before Misty worried that there might already be someone else in his life, imagine her relief when she found out it hadn't happened even after he had become the regional champion of Kanto. She wanted more than anything to confess her feelings, but like before she was too proud to admit it, and knowing the kind of person Ash was she feared he probably wouldn't return them. But the person she knew now wasn't the same ten year old boy who destroyed her bike. Her sisters suspected something and tried to bring them together, but after the dark revelation Ash received in the Cerulean Gym they came together on their own.

"_It's a lot easier to kiss when we don't have a whole theater watching us."_

Misty helped Ash get back on his feet, but he had started to become a little more distant every day. After all having a girlfriend wasn't going to help him beat the impossibly strong _Pokémon his father wielded. And then his nineteenth birthday came along, as did May and Dawn, two other girls he had traveled with. He hadn't talked about them very much, at least not when she was around, but Misty knew that could mean one of two things; either they didn't mean as much to him as she did, or something happened between him and them that he didn't want her to know about. Feeling her relationship was threatened, Misty got desperate. On his birthday she made her move._

_"__I need to know… Do you love me?"_

_"__Yes…"_

_"__I want proof… I need evidence that I'm loved…"_

_"__Misty I…"_

_"__You told me not too long ago that you needed me… well… I need you."_

_ Just then she woke up._

_"Damn it… right at my favorite part… Oh god, why does my head hurt?"_

_"She's awake!"_

_"Daisy? What are you doing here? Come to think of it… what am I doing here?"_

_"You're at the hospital, you were hit in the head, and we came as soon as we heard!"_

_"The doc said you're lucky the worst didn't happen. Someone in your condition totally needs to be careful." said Lily._

_"Speaking of which, when where you going to tell us?!" exclaimed Violet._

_"Tell you what?"_

_"Wait, you didn't know?"_

_"I didn't know what? What's going on here?"_

For a moment it looked like Misty's three sisters were at a loss of words.

"Nothing's wrong Misty…" said Daisy at last "You're… you're just a little pregnant."

"What did you say?"

"She's awake? Good! Now I can give her a piece of my mind!"

At that moment Dawn came bursting in with Brock and May trying to restrain her.

"How could you do this to Ash?! Can you imagine what he's probably going through?!"

"Ash! Where is he?!"

"Uh… he's not here." said May "He didn't take it well."

Ash had been dealing with angry ex-fans, worrying about Team Rocket trying to steal Omegamoah, trying to come to grips with the fact that he had an interregional criminal for a father who wasn't really dead, and training his _Pokémon for their next encounter… now Misty was carrying his child._

_"Oh my god… oh my god… what have I done?"_

_"Don't worry… He will be back." said Brock._

_Everyone looked at him._

_"He's not like… you know… Ash just has a lot on his mind… He'll come back when he cools down a bit."_

_"And what if he doesn't?" asked Dawn._

_"He will…"_

_ Have you ever had one of those days where you find yourself asking, "How the hell did I get here?" Have you ever had a one of those days where everything about your life just seemed to fall apart and you had no idea how you were going to put it back together? Add them both together and you might have had an idea of about half of what was going on in Ash Ketchum's mind._

_"__How did this happen? How did this happen? Oh yeah, you let your hormones get the better of you on your nineteenth birthday."_

_After everyone else had gone to bed that night Misty asked Ash to go for a swim with her. Ever since she came back into his life going for a swim with Misty every now and then had become Ash's favorite little secret activity. He always felt like a really lucky S.O.B. who had stumbled on a beautiful mermaid. But that night she did something he never expected… She took her suit off and dared him to do the same. After that he just lost all control. They were just going for a swim, what did it matter if they were naked, what could possibly go wrong?_

_"__I'd get her pregnant… That's what!"_

_It wasn't long before simply seeing him wasn't enough for her, and then their bodies met._

_"__I need to know… do you love me?"_

_"__Yes…"_

_"__I want proof… I need evidence that I'm loved…"_

_"__Misty I…"_

_"__You told me not too long ago that you needed me… well… I need you."_

_Then she kissed him like she had never kissed him before. It wasn't a simple display of affection; it was a lover's kiss._

_"__You must be a mermaid… you're using magic on me…"_

_"__Is it working?"_

_"__Absolutely."_

_ That was the best night of Ash's life, but if he had known the consequences of his actions he would have never let it happen. True Misty had seduced him, but it was as much his fault as it was hers. After all it took a man and a woman to do something like that._

_"What am I going to do?! What's my mom going to say?! What's going to happen when the whole world finds out?! What if I'm banned from the league?! Who the hell am I talking too!?"_

_"PIKA-CHU!"_

_Fearing the worst, Pikachu followed Ash after he ran from the hospital, and now he zapped him with a Thunderbolt._

_"Thanks… I needed that."_

_"Pika."_

_It was times like this that Ash wished Pikachu could speak. He wanted more than ever to know what his dearest friend was thinking._

_"What am I going to do Pikachu?"_

_"I have a few suggestions…"_

_The voice Ash heard belonged to the one person he didn't want to see right now._

_"YOU!"_

_Ash spun around and there he was, mask and all._

_"PIKA-CHU!"_

_Obviously Pikachu forgot that his suit was insulated. Ash ran over and tried to punch him in the mask, but he caught his arm and kept it at bay effortlessly._

_"Calm down Ash, I didn't come here to fight you, I came to talk."_

_"You want to talk to someone, talk to your freaky sidekicks!"_

_"I haven't spoken with them since you defeated them. I have very little time for people who can't complete a simple mission for me."_

_Ash dared not say what he thought out loud. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction._

_"__I'm not surprised. You don't even have time for your wife or son."_

"Ever since our match I've been watching you Ash… and I understand you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble."

"So what if I have? It's none of your damn business."

"I think it is… And I know what you're going through."

"_You don't know anything about me! You left mom to raise me on her own!"_

"What's with that look on your face? I thought you'd be grateful if someone were offering you an escape."

"Escape?! There is no escape from something like this!"

"Only if you care what people think about you… People don't like the things I've done, they label me a criminal, and they call the things I do to my _Pokémon unethical… but I don't care. Their opinions don't change the fact that I'm the best and can't be beaten."_

_"I beg to differ."_

_"You only won because your little electric friend here and that baby Lugia interfered. I know all about the little training exercises you've been going through with your Pokémon, and can tell you that if you were to challenge me right now you would still lose. And even if you didn't have a baby on the way you would still lose no matter how hard you trained. But I can help your Pokémon reach levels of power you never thought possible. Your dream is to become the greatest Pokémon Master of all time, I can show you how. Believe me… after all… father knows best."_

_ A million different things went through Ash's mind. He didn't want to give up his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master… would it really come to that?_

_"__You told me not too long ago that you needed me… well… I need you."_

_Ash made his decision then._

_"When Wailords fly…"_

_"What?"_

_"You're right about one thing, and that's exactly what your problem is! You just don't give a damn! You may not care what happens to Misty, but I do! I may not know what the hell I'm going to do, but I'm not going to walk out on her!"_

_For a long moment they just stood there. Pikachu looked like he was getting ready to attack in case he tried something._

_"You'll change your mind soon enough… I guarantee it."_

_"Don't count on it. I won't make the same mistakes that you did."_

_"And which mistakes would you be referring to?"_

_Ash made to kick him, but he disappeared in a puff of smoke. When it cleared he was gone. Ash quickly checked his belt to make sure he still had all his Poké Balls._

_"Pika!"_

_Pikachu was smiling with approval. Ash wanted to smile too, but he knew that there was still much to be done._

_"Come on Pikachu… We shouldn't keep her waiting."_


	8. A Mysterious Visitor

_ As he made his way back to the hospital that night Ash's immediate concern was how his mother was going to react. Misty took full responsibility for what had happened, but Delia said there were important things to do than decide whose fault it was. Knowing that how this could hurt Ash's already damaged reputation everyone agreed to keep Misty's pregnancy a secret, for the time being._

_"So… what's the plan?"_

_"There's only one thing to do. We need to arrange a wedding within the next month, and then we can tell them that Misty got pregnant on the honeymoon."_

_"Uh… putting everything else aside, won't they think it's a little odd that Ash is getting married a month after his nineteenth birthday?" asked Dawn._

_"Well it's either that or just come clean right now and tell the world that she's pregnant." said May._

_ "I don't know if we can keep it a secret." said Ash._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"He knows…"_

_"Who knows?"_

_"Who do you think?"_

_"The Man with the Black Charizard?!" exclaimed Max._

_Ash and the others had refrained from talking about him, especially in front of his mother._

_"It's probably all over the internet by now!"_

_"No…"_

_"Mrs. Ketchum?"_

_"David… has done many things… but he would never endanger his own grandchild."_

_"His name is David?" asked May._

_"He didn't even give a damn about me until I became the Regional Champion and caught Omegamoah! Why the hell should he care about his grandchild?!"_

_"Well… he cared enough to fake his death so no one would suspect he was your father."_

_"Thanks a lot May."_

_ It wasn't easy for anyone, least of all Ash. It seemed only yesterday Misty had given him his first kiss, then she ends up being the woman carrying his child and his fiancée._

_"How long do we go on not talking?"_

_Ash didn't answer._

_"Ash I'm sorry I…"_

_"I don't blame you Misty… You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and it's as much my fault as it is yours. It's just that I never expected to become a father after I turned nineteen… and especially not right after…"_

_"You're not him."_

_"I'm not? Then why do I seem to be in exactly the same position he was?"_

_"You won't make the same mistakes that he did."_

_"And how do you know that?"_

_"Because I know you… You didn't run that night."_

_"As much as I hate to admit it, part of me wanted to."_

_"But you didn't, and that's all that matters."_

_"Pika."_

_ Ash knew that if Pikachu was on her side then there was no way he could win this argument. Misty had to be right._

_"Tell me… did you really feel threatened by May and Dawn?"_

_"Why do you ask?"_

_"It's an odd coincidence that you make your move on the day they show up here in Pallet Town."_

_"Yes..."_

_"Why?"_

_"Sometimes it scares me that I don't know everything that happened after the Silver Conference. I was worried that after all this time you might have found someone else…"_

_"I told you once before… I thought of you every day since we parted."_

_"How was I supposed to know you weren't just saying that?"_

_"When have I ever lied to you?"_

_"Do you want the short list or the long, chronologically or alphabetically?"_

_"Never mind; the point is that you didn't have to force me into that position to prove I wasn't."_

_"So you didn't enjoy it?"_

_"What? No! That was the best night of my life! Even better than becoming Regional Champion! But given the consequences of our actions, I wish you hadn't put me in that position, regardless of how much I enjoyed it."_

_"Well pardon me for being thorough."_

_"Very thorough… but there were other ways you could have found out."_

_"Like what?"_

_"You could have talked to Brock. He was also with me when I was traveling with May and Dawn."_

_"You and I both know Brock is as good with romance as Jessie, James, and Meowth were at stealing Pikachu."_

_"Point taken… but I'm sure there were other things we could have done besides let our hormones get the better of us."_

"Let's not dwell on the past… right now there's work to be done if we're going to have a better future."

Misty brought his hand to her stomach.

"For all of us."

It wasn't long before the impending matrimony of Ash and Misty became known. For obvious reasons Ash and Misty were doing their best to avoid being in public. As busy as everything was Ash still found time to go up into the mountains and train, it was one of the only ways he could forget about his problems for a while. One day when he was just getting ready to leave Pikachu just stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, when it faded there was a teenage girl standing there. She had long dark hair and was wearing a pink hat, a blue tank top, a white vest, and blue jean shorts. But the thing that attracted Ash's attention was the _Pokémon that was with her._

_"Bi!"_

_"What's going on out here?"_

_"Oh my gosh! Is that a Celebi?!" exclaimed Max._

_Not only was the Pokémon with the girl a legendary Celebi, it was pink._

_"Are you Ash Ketchum?" asked the girl at last._

_"Yes."_

_"And have you just celebrated your ninteenth birthday?"_

_"A few weeks ago, yes."_

_"And is Misty pregnant?"_

_"How did you know that?! Who are you anyway?"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry… I was so focused I forgot my manners. I know this sounds crazy… but I am from the future."_

_"The future?"_

_"Don't you know May?" asked Max "Celebi has the ability to travel through time."_

_"Prove it."_

_"Okay here's your demonstration, look over there."_

_Moments later, another girl and Celebi appeared in the place she had been pointing._

_"See?" asked the girl who just appeared._

_"We'll go back in time a couple of seconds." said the girl who appeared first._

_The first girl and her Celebi disappeared and the pair that appeared second took their place._

_"That's good enough for me." said Dawn._

_"If you're from the future why aren't you wearing a silly silver leisure suit?" asked May._

_"You're being stereotypical. And I'm only coming from seventeen years in the future."_

_ "You still haven't answered my question. Who are you, and if you are from the future why have you come back?"_

_"Tell you what… beat me in a Pokémon battle and I'll tell you."_

_If this girl had captured a Celebi, not to mention a pink one, there was no telling what other kinds of Pokémon she had, but Ash had been looking for an opportunity to see if his new training regime had born results._

_"You're on."_


	9. Blast From The Future

_ Ash and the others went into the mountains for the battle. It felt good to have his mind on something besides his impending fatherhood, and he hadn't had a decent challenge since his battle with Cynthia. Now was the chance to check on the progress his Pokémon had made after nearly two months of making them fight Omegamoah._

_"Something just occurred to me… Since your Celebi can travel back and forth through time, this could be the fifth time we've had this battle."_

_"I'm offended." said the girl still smiling "I've never cheated at anything in my life."_

_"How do I know you're telling the truth? I've only just met you."_

_"If I was such a dishonest person, do you really think Celebi here would have come to me?"_

_"Well… you've got me there."_

_"Let's get this show on the road. We'll each use six Pokémon with no time limit."_

_"Agreed; ladies first."_

_ "I choose Braviary!"_

_"What is that?" asked Dawn pulling out her Pokédex._

_"__Braviary, the valiant Pokémon, the evolved form of Rufflet. __Braviary fight for their friends without any thought about danger to themselves. It can carry a car while flying."_

"Wow, that's one tough bird."_said Misty._

_"I heard it takes a lot of skill to train Braviary." said Max._

_"This ought to clip that bird's wings." said Ash reaching for his first Poké Ball "I choose Glalie!"_

_"Glaaa-lieee!"_

_"An ice type… how predictable."_

_"Predictable, but it still works. Glalie, use your __Ice Beam__!"_

_"Glaaa-lieee!"_

_Glalie fired a powerful Ice Beam, but Braviary just flew out of the way and evaded it._

_"Glalie, fire again!"_

_Glalie tried firing more Ice Beams, but Braviary continued to dodge it, and each time it moved closer and closer toward Glalie._

_"Now hit him with __Super Power__!"_

_Braviary's body began to glow, and then he swooped down and slammed into Glalie full force and sent him crashing into a tree._

_"Glalie! Are you okay?!"_

_ "Glaaa-lieee!"_

_Ash should have known that after all this time Glalie wasn't one to give up without a fight, but guts alone weren't going to help him beat an opponent that could dodge all its attacks._

_"Glalie, try another __Ice Beam__!"_

_"Why is he doing the exact same thing over again?" asked May._

_"That's not the Ash I know." said Misty._

_After dodging more Ice Beams Braviary began to move in for the kill._

_"Hit it with another __Super Power__!"_

_Ash waited until just the right moment._

_"Glalie, __Sheer Cold__!"_

_When Braviary got too close Glalie let out a wave of light blue energy that froze it on the spot._

_ "Look like that's one for me." said Ash._

_"Don't get too cocky."_

_"I wouldn't dream of it."_

_"I choose Mawile!"_

_"A Mawile?"_

_"This could be a problem."_

_Since Mawile was a steel type Glalie was at a type disadvantage. Ash was confident there was only one move in his arsenal that would work._

_"Glalie, another __Sheer Cold__!"_

_"Mawile, __Double Team__!"_

_Mawile created several duplicates of itself, and it was clear that Glalie's attack had hit the wrong one._

_"I hate that trick."_

_"Mawile, use your __Fire Blast__!"_

_Glalie was already weak from his battle with Braviary, he wasn't able to withstand the attack._

_ "Glalie return."_

_Ash could use Charizard, but it was probably better to save him for later._

_"I choose Blastoise!"_

_"BLAAAAST!"_

_"I'm afraid that a big turtle won't save you from my Mawile. Use your __Charge Beam__!"_

_Mawile fired a massive beam of electricity from the jaws on her head._

_"Blastoise, dodge it with __Rapid Spin__!"_

_Blastoise quickly retreated into his shell and span out of the way._

_"Now counter with __Hydro Pump__!"_

_Before Mawile could muster a Double Team, Blastoise blasted it across the ground._

_"Now finish it with __Focus Blast__!"_

_Blastoise put his hands together and conjured a light blue ball of energy that it fired at Mawile. The doubled damage was enough to take it out._

_ "Before we continue Ash, here's a quick riddle for you… How many mice does it take to topple a giant turtle? The answer is one. Go Raichu!"_

_"Rai-chuuuu!"_

_"That's not good." said Brock._

_"That's an understatement." said Max "Blastoise is weak against electric attacks, and Raichu is capable of storing up to a hundred thousand volts of electricity in its body!"_

_"That's not all he can do. Raichu, use your __Giga Impact__!"_

_Raichu covered its body in energy, charged at Blastoise, and slammed hard into his shell knocking him flat on the ground. Blastoise struggled and struggled but couldn't get back up._

_"Raichu… you know what to do."_

_Raichu started gathering energy, and then let out a wicked Thunder attack that made Blastoise scream._

_ "Blastoise, return!"_

_Raichu may have been able to store a lot of electricity in its body, but Ash had one Pokémon in his party that would leave all one hundred thousand of those volts useless._

_"Go Garchomp!"_

_"GAAAAAR!"_

_"I'll bet you think you've crippled my Raichu, but a skilled trainer plans ahead."_

_"Whatever, Garchomp use your __Dragon Rush__!"_

_Garchomp's body was enveloped in a blue aura as he began to charge, but then he just tripped. Ash saw that there was a thick strand of grass around Garchomp's ankle._

_"Grass knot, I should've known."_

_"Now Raichu, hit him with your __Giga Impact__!"_

_Raichu sent Garchomp flying, but Garchomp was unwilling to give up._

_"Garchomp, use your __Sandstorm__!"_

_A fierce sandstorm blew out of nowhere on the battlefield. Raichu couldn't see a thing._

_"Now let's try this again… Garchomp use your __Dragon Rush__!"_

_Garchomp continued to charge into Raichu from random directions within the Sandstorm until he fell._

_ "That's a nice dragon you've got there, now I'll show you mine. Go Dragonite!"_

_The girl's Dragonite appeared with a loud roar._

_"Whoa! First a Braviary and now a Dragonite!" exclaimed Brock._

_"I got him when I was just a little girl and he was just a little Dratini, and now we're both all grown up."_

_If this girl was smart then she must've taught her Dragonite a wide variety of attacks. Ash knew there was a good deal of attacks a dragon Pokémon could learn, some of which were Garchomp's Achilles heel._

_"Dragonite, use your __Ice Beam__!"_

_"Garchomp, __Dig__!"_

_Before Dragonite's attack hit Garchomp burrowed underground._

_"Flamethrower, attack pattern Theta!"_

_Garchomp shot bursts of fire out of seemingly random positions in the ground. As always the intent wasn't to damage Dragonite, but to distract him. When the coast was clear Garchomp shot out of the ground._

_"Now hit it with your __Draco Meteor__!"_

Garchomp's body glowed orange and an orange ball of light appeared inside his chest. The glow faded and a ball of orange energy appeared in front of Garchomp's mouth. Garchomp fired the ball into the air and it exploded, sending many orbs raining down on the battlefield.

"Dragonite, **Extreme Speed**!"

_Dragonite was quick enough to dodge all the falling orbs._

_"I didn't know a Dragonite could move that fast!" said Dawn._

_"They can circle the globe in sixteen hours." said Max "They can dodge some falling energy balls easily enough."_

_"Garchomp, try your __Dragon Rush__!"_

_"Dragonite, __Ice Beam__!"_

_Dragonite fired his Ice Beam as Garchomp charged at him, but then Garchomp vanished into thin air, as did Dragonite._

_"What the… where'd they go?" asked Misty._

_"Their speed is insane! I can't keep up!" said Brock._

_Suddenly everyone felt several small shockwaves occurring all over the place. Garchomp and Dragonite were moving faster than the human eye could see; when they were visible they were just blurs in the wind. It seemed like this fight could go on and on, but then Dragonite got in a lucky blow with an Ice Punch._

_"GAAAR!"_

_"Now finish him with your Hyper Beam!"_

_After being struck by Dragonite's blast Garchomp tried his best to stand his ground, but he just didn't have any strength left._

_ "Alright… Let's see if your Dragonite can handle this. Go Charizard!"_

_"VROOOOOOR!"_

_"I thought dragon Pokémon were strong against fire attacks." said May._

_"Charizard has more than just fire attacks in his arsenal." said Brock._

_"Ash knows what he's doing." said Misty "Now where the hell is my latte?!"_

_"Get her a latte before she has a meltdown." whispered Dawn._

_"I heard that!"_

_"Dragonite, use your __Hurricane__!"_

_At first it seemed like Dragonite's attack was going to keep Charizard at bay, but he continued to fight against it. Charizard had trained harder than all Ash's other Pokémon against Omegamoah; he wasn't going to be stopped by a Dragonite._

_"Charizard, use your __Dragon Pulse__!"_

_Charizard fired a Dragon Pulse that struck Dragonite in the chest. Dragonite fell to the ground, but landed on his feet, nevertheless it stumbled backwards disoriented._

_"Now's your chance! Charizard, __Dragon Rush__!"_

_Charizard's body was covered in a blue aura, then he rammed into Dragonite full force. Charizard may not have been a dragon Pokémon himself, but his attacks were enough to take Dragonite out._

_ "You're just as tough as I expected you to be Mr. Ketchum."_

_"Am I still well known in your time?"_

_"You might say that. But let's see how well you contend with a legendary Pokémon."_

_Much to Ash's surprise, the girl didn't signal for her Celebi to attack, instead she reached for another Poké Ball._

_"I choose you, Suicune!"_

"Are you kidding me?!"

Sure enough the _Pokémon that emerged from the girl's Poké Ball was the legendary Pokémon Suicune._

_"He's beautiful!" said May._

_"She has two legendary Pokémon?!" exclaimed Max "Most people are lucky if they ever see one!"_

_"I didn't go searching for him, he came to me when I needed him most, and we've been best friends ever since." she said petting him on the head._

_"When you needed him most?"_

_"There will be time for that story later. For now let's get on with our battle."_

_"Charizard, use your __Solar Beam__!"_

_Suicune dodged the attack effortlessly, just as Ash had expected. Beating it wasn't going to be easy._

_"Charizard, try your __Dragon Pulse__!"_

"Suicune, use **Mirror Coat**!"

Suicune sent Charizard's attack flying back at him, knocking him out of the sky.

"Now finish him with your Hydro Pump!"

Suicune opened his mouth and fired a Hydro Pump that sent Charizard into a tree. He tried with all his might to stand up but could not do so.

"I must say, that's one stubborn Charizard. Either that or he's very determined."

"It's amazing how often those traits come together. Charizard, return."

Ash couldn't deny that this Suicune was going to be a powerful opponent, but he didn't want to use Omegamoah unless he had no other choice.

"Pikachu, do your thing."

"Pika!"

"So you're Pikachu…" she said "Let's see if you're as good as I heard. Suicune, **Extreme Speed**!"

"Pikachu, **Agility**!"

Pikachu and Suicune were dashing around the battlefield. Everyone was surprised to see that Pikachu was able to keep up with the legendary _Pokémon of the northern winds._

_"Since when are all Ash's Pokémon so fast?!" exclaimed Dawn._

_"He's been training them rigorously since the battle at the Cerulean Gym." said Misty "He knows they'll need to grow in strength, speed, and endurance if they are ever going to beat… his Pokémon."_

_"Why do you guys never say his name?" asked Max._

_"How can someone as smart as you be so stupid?!" asked May "It's because of him that most of Ash's fans have deserted him. Ash doesn't like having an interregional criminal for a father. Now he's going to be a father himself, and who does he have to look to?!"_

_"And whose fault is that?" asked Dawn looking intently at Misty._

_"Suicune, __Aurora Beam__!"_

_"Pikachu, __Thunderbolt__!"_

_Both Pokémon dodged the others attack._

_"There must be a way to… wait a minute…"_

_"Suicune, __Hydro Pump__!"_

Ash waited until just the right moment.

"Pikachu, **Thunder**, full power!"

Pikachu didn't aim his attack at Suicune, but instead at the Hydro Pump he was firing. Pikachu's Thunder traveled down Suicune's attack until it made contact with him. It shouldn't have been a surprise to everyone that Pikachu should have been able to defeat a legendary _Pokémon after Ash's battle with Kamilla at the Indigo Conference, but it still came as a shock to them when Suicune fell._

This mysterious girl had lost five of her _Pokémon already, but just like Cynthia she seemed to be enjoying this._

_"I heard you were tough at this age… but I never thought you'd be able to reduce me to my last Pokémon."_

_"I'm just full of surprises."_

_"So I've been told. Celebi, it's your turn."_

_"Bii!"_

_"What kinds of attacks can Celebi learn?" asked Dawn looking at her Pokédex._

_"____Celebi, the time travel __Pokémon.__This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared. It is thought that so long as Celebi appears, a bright and shining future awaits us._"

"Well that's an encouraging thought."

"It's half psychic and half grass type. But since it's a legendary _Pokémon it_ may be capable of learning other attacks as well."

"Celebi, use your **Future Sight**!"

Celebi's eyes began to glow, but then nothing happened. Ash knew that this was one attack that took it's time.

"As someone famous once said, be mindful of the future but not at the expense of the moment."

"Really… let's see if you can beat Celebi before the attack comes."

"Sorry but I don't like playing games of chance, only skill."

"As you wish."

"Pikachu, use your **Thunderbolt**!"

"Celebi, **Earth Power**!"

Celebi dodged Pikachu's attack, then its body started to glow gold and the ground around it began to crack and shake. Pikachu ran as fast he could to stay out of the attack's range, but this meant Celebi would have more time to dodge Pikachu's attacks when they came.

"This girl is smart… Pikachu, use your **Volt Tackle**!"

Pikachu rushed at Celebi, but it dodged the attack.

"Celebi, **Energy Ball**!"

"Pikachu, **Thunderbolt**!"

Pikachu dodged Celebi's attack and countered.

"Celebi, **Protect**!"

Celebi raised the barrier in time to deflect Pikachu's attack.

"Even if Pikachu's attack had hit it would have only done half the damage. Ash is never going to beat it that way." said Max.

"If I know my Ash, and I do, then he has a plan." said Misty.

"Celebi, hit him with another **Earth Power**!"

"Pikachu, use your **Signal Beam**!"

"Signal Beam?!"

Pikachu leapt high into the air and his body was surrounded with static. He then fired a rainbow colored beam that struck Celebi dead on.

"Biii!"

"Now follow up with **Iron Tail**!"

As Pikachu came down he smacked Celebi in the face, knocking it to the ground.

"Now finish it off with **Volt Tackle**!"

"Pika-chu!"

The girl's Celebi was beaten. She immediately went over and started administering to it.

"I was told your Pikachu was special… but being able to go head to toe with two legendary _Pokémon and win… Even my Raichu hasn't done that. I thought for sure you would have needed Omegamoah."_

_"I never rely on the power of a single Pokémon, we're a team. And now I believe it's your turn to divulge some information."_

_"I would have told you even if you had lost."_

_"What? Then why did you just make me battle you?"_

_"That was just for fun."_

_"Okay… so are you going to tell us who you are or not?"_

_"Very well… My name is Adena, and I've come back in time to warn you of things to come."_


	10. Adena's Secret

_ "Adena? That's a nice name." said Misty._

_"Oh… thank you."_

_"What is it you came back to warn us about?"_

_ "Well… There's no nice way to put this…"_

_"Just tell us, what is so bad that you came back in time to warn us about it?"_

_"You know how Team Rocket tried to steal Omegamoah a few weeks ago?"_

_"Yes… and I imagine they still are."_

_"Yes… a few days from now Team Rocket will launch an all-out assault in attempt to take him from you..."_

_"Do they succeed?"_

_"No… The Pokémon G-Men have this place under surveillance and have more than adequate forces on standby to counter them… but… the fight won't be without casualties… Misty your baby is in danger!"_

_"What?!" exclaimed both Ash and Misty._

_"In the battle you get caught in the crossfire and you suffer a miscarriage. I don't want that to happen."_

_Ash couldn't take his eyes off the small but unmistakable bump on Misty's stomach._

_"What do we have to do?"_

_"You must leave this place as soon as possible. Team Rocket only cares about Omegamoah, not you. Once the battle is over their organization will be all but crippled and it won't be long until Giovanni is back behind bars where he belongs, and your baby will be safe. I'll even stay behind to make sure that happens."_

_Misty looked from her stomach, to Ash, and then to Adena._

_"Thank you…"_

_ When asked why Adena had come back in time to save Misty's baby she said that she knew Ash and Misty in the future, and that she knew what grief the death of their child caused them, and that she would to anything to make things right. Suddenly something came across Brock's mind._

_"What happens to me in the future?! Do I meet the girl of my dreams and marry her?!"_

_"Uh… I… can't say."_

_"Huh? You hesitated there, is there something I should know?"_

_"I told you I can't say."_

_"Why not?! This is my future wife we're talking about! For the love of God tell me what you know!"_

_Both May and Dawn bashed Brock in the back of the head._

_"Thank you."_

_"Really Adena, is there something you're not telling us?"_

_"I do admit there are some things I'm not telling you, but that's only because time travel is a very dangerous business. I trust you've heard of the butterfly effect?"_

_"I know what you're talking about!" said Max "It's just like in the movies, where changing any small thing in the past can alter the future in ways you can't imagine."_

_"Yes, and I don't want to mess with the timeline too much."_

_"Aren't you messing with it right now?" asked Dawn._

_"Yes, I'm breaking like a hundred rules just by being here. But that's only because some things should be changed, but it would probably be preferable if other things did not."_

_"And the best way to ensure that they didn't would be for Brock to find out on his own?"_

_"Precisely."_

_ Mrs. Ketchum didn't seem too troubled having yet another person in the house. In fact she seemed very interested in Adena and asked her a lot of questions. Of course Adena politely refused to answer any questions about the future save for what she had already told them. With Adena there were now five people sleeping on the lower floor in sleeping bags. Ever since she found about Misty's condition, not only was Mrs. Ketchum insist that Ash and Misty sleep in the same room, she told them to do so naked, saying that she read somewhere that it helps create a stronger intimate bond. A few months ago when Ash won the Indigo Conference a little misunderstanding led Delia to think Ash and Misty had gone skinny dipping and accused them of being a couple when they were really just having a Pokémon battle. Now that Ash and Misty had a baby on the way and were due to be married she was actually encouraging them to be intimate._

_"____I want one thing understood; you're going to live together, you're going to eat together, you're going to sleep together, and you're going to bathe together. Get used to it!"_

_"__But we're not even married yet."_

_"__You might as well be since she's carrying your baby."_

_At first it felt really strange for Ash to be sleeping in the same bed with a girl, let alone that they were both naked, but as the weeks went by he had to admit he felt a little happier every day. The sight of Misty curled up in bed beside him was as intoxicating as watching her swim, but tonight both their eyes were fixed on her stomach._

_"It'll be fine; she said she can change it."_

_"Somehow… I know."_

_It was then that Ash noticed something strange._

_"Wait a minute… You and Adena have the same eyes!"_

_"I know Ash… I think she's our daughter."_

_"Our daughter? She can't be, in her time you have a miscarriage."_

_"I know, but last week I decided I was going to call our baby Adena if it was a girl."_

_"Well… Now that you mention it, she kind of looks like me... only without a Y-chromosome and with waist length hair."_

_ Adena was lying on the ground wide awake. Seeing her mother this young was so weird, and the last memory she had of her father from her own time was of him threatening to destroy an entire city if they didn't hand her over, and here he was looking like any ordinary teenage Pokémon trainer. Her mother's words echoed in her ears._

_"__You father wasn't always… the way he is… I met him when he was only ten years old. He was the most stubborn, rash, arrogant, and headstrong person I had ever met, but I could tell his heart was in the right place. As the years went by I watched him grow both physically and in maturity into the man I feel in love with. He wanted more than anything else to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master, but I also knew that he'd do anything for me, and for his child."_

_Adena hadn't been lying when she told the others that Misty would suffer a miscarriage because of Team Rocket's vain ambitions to reacquire Omegamoah, but she hadn't told them that the grief caused by the death of Ash's unborn child drove him mad. After all the things that had happened to him it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Throwing Giovanni back behind bars wasn't enough, when Ash confronted him he was out for blood, and he succeeded._

_"__YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME!"_

_"__What can I say boy? An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."_

_"__You're right…"_

_"__AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"_

_However Giovanni's death did nothing to ease the pain that he and Misty felt after losing their child. Ash went into the world looking for a way to make things right, and it quickly became clear that the only way he could do that would be to turn back time. Only two Pokémon in the world can manipulate time: Celebi and Dialga. Ash had encountered both these legendary Pokémon before and intended to find them again, but his heart was no longer in the right place because it was stained with Giovanni's blood. After two years of fruitless searching he returned briefly to Pallet Town, and it was during that time that Adena had been conceived, but Ash never knew of his second child because he still had not recovered from the loss of his first, and by the time Adena was born the man that Misty had loved was long gone._

_ Ash continued to search in vain for the legendary Pokémon Celebi or Dialga, but he never found them, and the desire for power can corrupt even the noblest of persons. As he traveled he ran into more monsters like Giovanni, it never stopped, and there was nothing he could do about it… or was there? Overtime Ash's quest for power gradually went from saving someone he loved to realizing that he could control the world. Seduced by what power he had obtained during his travels, the self-appointed Lord Xanrai began his quest for world domination. With Omegamoah leading his forces cities fell under Xanrai's rule one by one, but there were some who resisted. The first brave stand was made by Brock in Pewter City, but Xanrai showed no mercy, not even for his former friends. Adena couldn't bear to tell Brock that his greatest fear would be realized, if she failed in her mission then he was going to die a virgin._

_ It wouldn't be just Brock who would suffer. Survivor reports stated the Lord Xanrai kept certain female POWs for his own personal playthings. Among the women Adena knew suffered this horrible fate were May, Dawn, Jasmine of Olivine City, and others. Instead of striking fear into any possible troublemaker like he intended, the atrocities of Xanrai continued to rally people against him. The resistance was led by Adena's friend and mentor Cynthia, but it takes more than strong leadership to win a war. Any battles the resistance won were met with as many casualties as their defeats. After months of effort they finally killed Omegamoah by exploiting a weakness that Cynthia found in his armor during her battle with Ash. Xanrai was furious, but even so his forces had no choice but to retreat. However the damage that had already been caused could not be undone._

_ During the battle Adena met Suicune, who then took her to Celebi. Adena wanted more than anything to change the fates of her family and friends, even though there was a chance that changing the past might prevent her from ever being born, she felt that it was a risk she'd have to take. Because of this Celebi agreed to take her back in time. Now that she saw the kind of person her father used to be she wanted more than ever to help him._


	11. Unexpected Changes

_ Giovanni was not a happy camper. He had hoped that his agents would have acquired Omegamoah during the battle in Omega Stadium, but all they had succeeded in doing was losing more men. With most of their assets and resources taken by the G-Men they needed Omegamoah more than ever. Whatever agents he had left were trying to secure funds, but they dared not do anything too bold. According to Domino the G-Men had practically an entire battalion of men stationed in Pallet in case they tried to take Omegamoah by force, and they didn't have enough expendables to risk a direct assault._

_"If I ever get my hands on the ones who ratted us out…"_

_Though Giovanni didn't know it, the ones who sold out the location of their base were Jessie, James, and Meowth. Not long before he unleashed Omegamoah on Kanto he sent them on fake mission to an island and left them to die because he was sick of their incompetence. Since then they had found a much more rewarding profession on the right side of the law._

_"We must either acquire more men to take Omegamoah by force, or find another way acquire it. But how?"_

_Suddenly the room went dark. When the emergency generators didn't kick in he knew something was wrong._

_"The power will come back on when I tell it too…"_

_"Who the fuck are you?! What do you want?!" exclaimed Giovanni._

_"Who I am is not important, and what I want is even more confidential. Just know that I can help you. You hate a lot of people, but I know you hate Ash Ketchum most because he humiliated you in a Pokémon battle and because he possesses Omegamoah and you do not. I know that you want him back, and that you also lack the manpower to take him by force, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. I know a way you can reacquire Omegamoah without wasting any more of your assets, and ruin what's left of Ash Ketchum's reputation at the same time. Adding insult to injury you may say._

_"I'm listening…"_

_ When morning came Ash and the others discussed their plans for Misty's safety over breakfast._

_"How much time do we have before Team Rocket makes their move?"_

_"Three days." replied Adena "All we need to is take Mo… Misty somewhere safe until the battle is over."_

_"But where?"_

_"Most of Giovanni's men will be sent here for the assault on Pallet, so I'm pretty sure anywhere but here will do."_

_"Why don't you just use Celebi to take her somewhere else in time?" asked Max._

_"I've already told you, time travel is dangerous. I don't want to use Celebi unless it's absolutely necessary. But with Suicune's speed I can take Misty across the region easily enough. All Giovanni cares about is Omegamoah, so as long as he's in one place and Misty's in another we shouldn't have any problems."_

_ Instead of going into the mountains to train like he normally did, Ash didn't leave Misty's side. Though Adena assured him the attack wasn't going to come for a few days he felt an urge to stay and protect her. It was a very quiet day until they received a letter in the mail with no return address. Even more disturbing was the message inside_

_Ketchum_

_I imagine it must be tough knowing that your father is a wanted criminal, even worse that the whole world knows about it. I think your public would like you even less if they found out you knocked up a Gym Leader._

_If you wish to keep that information private, then surrender Omegamoah to us._

_Please signal your compliance by placing an Ultra Ball on the tree in west woods with red graffiti on it by 6pm tomorrow. We will then organize a time and place for the exchange._

_ "Giovanni!" exclaimed May._

_"Well… now we have a firm grasp of the obvious." said Max._

_"This is impossible!" exclaimed Adena "I was never told that Team Rocket knew Misty was pregnant!"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"In the future I come from Team Rocket launched an all-out assault to get their hands on Omegamoah; Misty was caught in the crossfire and suffered a miscarriage. I wasn't told they knew she was pregnant and threatened to make that information public!"_

_"So you're saying that somehow history has already changed?"_

_"How did they find out that Misty was pregnant in the first place?" asked Ash._

_"The only people that should know are everyone in this room, Misty's sisters, Cynthia, and the doctor who we paid to keep quiet."_

_"I think we can rule out Cynthia."_

_"Knowing Misty's sisters it's probably on the internet."_

_"No, my sisters know the gravity of the situation."_

_"Maybe those doctors sided with the highest bidder."_

_"It doesn't matter how Team Rocket found out about Misty's condition." said Brock "The question is what we do about it."_

"I'm not giving them Omegamoah." said Ash "Last time Giovanni destroyed Professor Oak's lab, Cerulean City, and tried to destroy all of Pallet as well. And knowing him he'll probably tell the world about Misty anyway."

"So you can either not give them Omegamoah and Giovanni will spill the beans for sure, or you can give Omegamoah to him in which case he'll most likely do it regardless." said Dawn.

"I know… either way not only am I the son of the Man with the Black Charizard, but I'm a filthy pervert as well."

"But that's not fair, it was all my idea! If anyone takes the fall for this it should be me!" said Misty.

"You clearly don't know how the media works. All the families affected by the Man with the Black Charizard are going to point their torches at Ash and say that you're his victim. And even if they don't feel that way, those vultures on TV and in the papers are going to convince them."

"There is another option." said Brock.

"There is?"

"Blackmail depends on secrecy. All Ash has to do is tell the world himself."

"And how would that help?"

"Would you rather have Giovanni dig up your secret, or would you prefer to be the one to tell everybody?"

"If you come clean, the worst they can do is suspend you from the league for a year." said Max.

"We'll do it together!" said Misty "It's just as much my fault, if not more, than it is yours. That way no one can say anything about you alone, and besides… that's what couples do."

Ash thought about it, his life's goal was to be the world's greatest Pokémon master. What was one year out of the league in the long run? Besides, they were short on options.

"Okay… what do we do?"

The only person Ash and Misty knew that could understand their situation was DJ Mary. It was arranged that they would give her an exclusive interview over the phone. After that Adena would take Misty somewhere safe incase Team Rocket decided to launch an immediate retaliation. It was nearly time and Ash was hesitant to pick up the phone.

"Let's get this over with."


	12. Racing for the Future

When the interview was over Ash knew it wouldn't be long before every journalist and his sister showed up on his front door. He never would have gotten through it without Misty's help. But in a way he felt like a great burden had been lifted from him.

"I think you'll all agree, that went about as well as it possibly could."

"Never mind that, we've got to get the hell out of here!" said Adena.

Since history had already changed from what Adena knew, it was decided that they would escalate their plans. According to Aden Team Rocket wasn't supposed to attack for a few days, but they weren't supposed to know about Misty's pregnancy, or threaten to expose that information to the entire world if Ash didn't give them Omegamoah. Now that Ash and Misty had willingly told DJ Mary about their child, odds were Team Rocket might retaliate sooner than expected.

"Team Rocket wants Omegamoah more than anything else. As long as he's with Ash I don't think they'll care where Misty goes, but I'll stay with her just to be on the safe side."

"Either way, I don't think we should stick around long enough for the media vultures to tear me a new one."

"Okay so we're all on the same page. Ash will take Omegamoah somewhere so Team Rocket will follow, and I'll take Misty somewhere else where we can wait for all this to blow over. When the battle is over I'll know."

It took a long time for Ash and Misty to say their goodbyes, he didn't like leaving her, but he knew that as long as she was near Omegamoah she wouldn't be safe.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road! Go Suicune!"

Misty never had the pleasure of riding a legendary beast, and Suicune was her favorite; she couldn't deny that she had been looking forward to this.

"Okay Suicune, show us the meaning of speed!" said Adena.

Because Misty was carrying a baby Suicune wasn't running at full speed, but in no time at all Pallet Town was behind them.

"This is amazing! I knew Suicune was fast but I didn't know he could go this fast."

"That's one of the best things about Pokémon, they're full of surprises."

"Tell me something Adena… What did you mean when you said you'd know when the battle was over?"

"History has already changed, but not in the way I intended, otherwise I would not still be here."

"What do you mean?"

"I came back in time to stop you from suffering a miscarriage, if I succeed then that means in the future I won't have to come back in time to stop it from happening. If I had succeeded that means I would just disappear."

"Wait a minute… If you succeed and stop me from suffering a miscarriage, and as a result you won't come back from the future to prevent it from happening, doesn't that mean I will have a miscarriage and you will have to come back in time to stop that from happening? I'm confused."

"Time travel is as confusing as it is dangerous."

"But Ash, Brock, and I encountered someone who traveled through time with a Celebi, and nothing happened."

"In know, you told me in the future, but it's not the same thing. When someone from the past travels to the future it doesn't create a paradox because anything that they interfere with hasn't actually happened yet."

"I guess that makes sense. Still, you're just going to pop out of existence?"

"I can't predict what will happen if I succeed, in theory I should just disappear, but I don't know that for sure. But we can worry about time paradoxes later; right now we just need to do our best to prevent this tragedy from happening and hope it works."

As they raced across the landscape of Kanto, Adena couldn't help but wonder what was happening back in her own time. Cynthia and the resistance had killed Omegamoah and forced Xanrai and his men to retreat, but he still had an army of Pokémon at his disposal. All they could do was prepare themselves for when Xanrai decided to make his next move. Adena couldn't imagine what kind of evil things he was plotting, but she guessed that it didn't really matter, if she succeeded in her mission than none of them would ever come to pass.

"Do you have a lot of water Pokémon in your collection?" asked Misty.

"I've got quite a few… but except for Suicune I left them all in the future."

"And how did you get your Raichu?"

Adena took a moment to consider if it would be too dangerous to tell Misty this little story.

"He was my first Pokémon. I got him when he was just a little Pichu. I had just turned seven and he was my birthday present. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

Adena could tell that Misty, the young woman who would be her mother, was beginning to suspect something.

Misty lost track of how long they had been traveling, but it was nearly sunset when they stopped some distance from Vermillion City. Adena took out her phone to make the call, since it was the only one Team Rocket wouldn't be able to trace. Nevertheless she felt inclined to speak in code.

"Horned Lizard this is Wet Dog, what is your status?"

"Green, all is quiet. What about you?"

"We're green as well. It's been incident free."

"Where are you heading?"

"It would probably be better if I didn't tell you. If anything happens we'll contact you. Wet Dog out."

"Where are we going exactly?" asked Misty.

"There is a small town east of Fuchsia City where Team Rocket doesn't have even a single detachment stationed. We should be safe there."

They remounted Suicune and sped through the woods. It was nearly sundown when they stopped.

"Should we go to the Pokémon Center?"

"Too obvious…"

"You already said they don't have any people around here."

"I'm not taking any chances, this mission is too important."

Once they made their way to the nearest inn Adena paid the man a little extra to keep quiet that they were there. They took the elevator to the top floor.

"Wouldn't it be safer if we took a room on the ground floor?" asked Misty.

"In dark times there is no such thing as safety. If the worst should happen then I can have Braviary fly us out of here."

"No such thing as safety in dark times? Where did you hear that?"

That dark times line was a slip of the tongue. Adena didn't like lying to her own mother, even if she technically hadn't been born yet in this time.

"I read."

"Adena…"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for all you're doing for me and my baby."

_"She doesn't know the half of it… Even if I succeed I might never be born… but at least my big brother or sister will get a chance to live; mom will be spared the pain of losing daddy to evil, Brock will get a chance for his dreams to come true, May and Dawn will be spared their cruel fates, and many others will be spared as well."_

"You're welcome."

Adena had barely closed the door to their room when she heard a gun cocking from behind them.

"Don't move." said Domino getting out from under the bed.


	13. Team Rocket's Final Stand

_"This is impossible! How did they find us?"_ thought Adena _"It's like they knew exactly where we were going to be!"_

"Alright you two I've had a really bad day… so don't piss me off. Come quietly and no one gets hurt." said Domino.

"Oh no you don't!"

At that moment the door burst open and two more Rockets entered the room.

"It's Cassidy and Bluto!"

"FOR LAST DAMN TIME, MY NAME IS BUTCH!"

"What the hell are you two doing here?" demanded Domino.

"Like we were really going to let a bundle this big pass up."

"Get lost! This one's mine!"

"Forget you!"

"I was under that bed for three hours!"

_"Three hours? I didn't even decide to come here until about an hour ago… Can't think about that now, I've got to get mom out of here."_

Adena took a minute to decide which of her Pokémon would be best to provide the distraction they needed. When she made up her mind she dropped the Poké Ball to the ground.

"Raaai-chu!"

"Raichu, **Thunder Shock**!"

Raichu zapped all three of the Rockets.

"Go, Braviary!"

Misty, Adena, and her Raichu mounted Braviary and took off from the balcony. It was only about five minutes before a Hyper Beam flew past their heads.

"Fearows!"

"Braviary, take us down! Raichu, use your **Thunderbolt**!"

When they made it to the ground Adena recalled both of her Pokémon and called on Suicune.

"Okay Suicune, let's make like hockey sticks and get the puck out of here!"

As they raced through the woods Misty's phone began to ring.

"Go ahead and answer it, there's no way they can keep up."

"Misty! Are you okay?" bellowed Ash over the phone.

"Not really. We're currently running from a group of Rockets who ambushed us at the hotel we were going to stay at. How are things on your end?"

"Team Rocket sent us a note threatening to kill you if I didn't hand over Omegamoah."

"Something is not right." said Adena taking the phone "One of the Rockets said she waited three hours for us to arrive. They knew we were coming!"

"How is that possible?"

Adena had been pondering that very same question. One very dark possibility crossed her mind, but she prayed she was wrong.

"I don't know, but I've got a good feeling it won't be long before Giovanni has an entire armada after us. Where are you?"

"We're a few miles southwest of Viridian City."

"Okay… We're en route to your location."

"What? I thought you said that would be bad."

"Listen to me, for some reason nothing is happening the way it did in my time, but I do know for a fact that there is a small army of Pokémon G-Men on your tail whose mission is to keep Team Rocket from getting their hands on Omegamoah. I don't know what's going on, but I've a feeling we're going to need them before this is all over. Giovanni is going to commit everything he has to get his hand on either Omegamoah or the leverage he needs to get you to turn him over. We'll lead the Rockets right to them and they'll do the rest."

Misty could tell that there was no lie in Adena's eyes. Nothing had happened as she said it would, but it wasn't her fault. There was something else at work.

Back at the Team Rocket's fallback outpost Giovanni sat in his office waiting to hear news from his men.

"It looks like your informant was right again sir. They're heading straight for Ketchum."

"And Omegamoah is with him?"

"We believe so sir."

"Very well. Bring me either Omegamoah or Ketchum's girlfriend, and blow away anyone who gets in your way. Failure is not an option!"

"Understood sir."

Everything was being committed to this assault. If Omegamoah was recaptured then Team Rocket would finally have the most powerful Pokémon back in their possession and their operations would be back on track. If they got their hands on Ketchum's girlfriend then they would have just the hostage they needed to get Ketchum to hand Omegamoah over. Then they'd teach Ketchum a lesson he'd never forget. Giovanni wanted more than anything to personally pay Ketchum back for humiliating him in that battle they had, but he knew that being on the frontlines was too dangerous. All he could do was wait.

With Suicune's speed it wasn't long before Adena and Misty met up with Ash and the others, and the Rockets were right behind them. Adena took Misty a little further away with a few G-Men to help protect her, meanwhile Ash and the others stood their ground waiting to take the Rockets head on.

"Primary target is in sight! Take no prisoners!"

In a matter of moments the meadow erupted into a war zone. Giovanni didn't care how many expendables it was going to take for this mission to be a success, once they had Omegamoah back in their possession hiring a little extra muscle wasn't going to be a problem. At first it looked like the G-Men and the Rockets were going to fight to a standstill, fearing for the life of his unborn child Ash decided to tip the odds.

"Go Omegamoah!"

When Omegamoah saw the symbol on the Rockets' uniforms he became enraged. He may have lost his memories after he fell on his head during the battle of Pallet Town, but the symbol was enough to remind him of all the horrible things that Team Rocket did to him when he was in their possession.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Ash had long since trained Omegamoah not to use his Death Beam unless he told him to, which would only be used as a very last resort. Omegamoah opted for a powerful Fire Blast attack instead.

"GRRRAAAAAOOOO!"

Despite Omegamoah's awesome power, more and more Rockets came pouring out onto the battlefield. But more aid was coming to Ash's side as well.

"Hold it right there you lame brains!"

"Prepare for the pain!"

"Oh my gosh… is that who I think it is?" asked Ash.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of greed and lust!"

"To… Jessie, what was the new line?"

"Look guys, I don't know if you've noticed, but I really don't have time for this right now!" said Ash "So get lost or I'll feed you to Omegamoah!"

"Hey! We're on your side!"

"Huh?"

"In case you've forgotten that asshole we used to call our boss left us to die on that island, now we want to pay him back." said James.

"Less talking more fighting!" yelled Meowth.

Misty was sandwiched between Adena, her Suicune, and several G-Men. They watched the battle rage on from a distance. Then suddenly…

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The G-Men fell dead at Adena's feet. She looked up and saw Domino standing there with a smoking gun.

"A real live Suicune? I would be shame for me to put a bullet through it and your pretty little face. Are you going to make me do that?"

Without warning Suicune charged and tackled Domino to the ground. Adena knocked the gun out of er hand. Domino was quickly back on her feet, but Adena hammered her in the face. Blood flowed from her nose.

"How dare you?!"

"How dare I what? You just killed four men and threatened a teenage girl and her unborn child you stupid bitch."

For a moment Misty watched as Adena and Domino fought.

"_Where did she learn to fight like that? Certainly not from me or Ash."_

At first glance Adena didn't look like much, but she came from a future where the world was ruled a power hungry psychopath. She didn't want to be defenseless if for any reason she was without her Pokémon, so she was trained by the other members of the resistance. She knocked Domino down and several Poké Balls rolled out of her pockets.

"So you do have Pokémon after all."

"Unlike you I don't need them."

"I beg to differ."

After another brief scuffle Domino was barely able to stand when Adena stomped on her knee.

"That's it… you're going to regret the day you ever messed with Team Rocket, you and that Ketchum bastard."

"I don't think so."

"Go Nidoqueen!"

"Go Braviary!"

"A flying Pokémon? Big mistake. Nidoqueen, **Ice Beam**!"

"Braviary, **Substitute**!"

Braviary created a clone of itself. As the two birds flew at Nidoqueen it fired its Ice Beam, but it struck the wrong one.

"**Sky Drop**!"

Braviary grabbed Nidoqueen with its talons and lifted it high into the air and then dropped it.

"Nidoqueen, **Thunderbolt**!"

Nidoqueen attacked furiously, but Braviary was able to avoid all it's attacks.

"Braviary, finish it with **Brave Bird**!"

Braviary flew at Nidoqueen like a missile and it's body became enveloped in flames and a bright blue aura. It slammed into Nidoqueen and sent it flying.

"Er… go Weavile!"

"My Braviary is fast enough to dodge a Thunderbolt, do you really think that thing scares me?"

"Weavile, **Hail**!"

Weavile's body glowed a light blue and thick clouds appeared on the field. Soon it started to snow, and then the hail followed. Adena knew Braviary couldn't stay in the air much longer. Fortunately there was one attack its arsenal that exploited both of Weavile's weaknesses.

"Braviary, **Super Power**!"

"Weavile, **Quick Attack**!"

As Braviary came rocketing towards it, Weavile dodged sharply to the side.

"Finish it with **Ice Beam**!"

Weavile's attack struck Braviary in the wing and brought it crashing down.

Adena thought carefully before making her next move. There was one Pokemon in her party that was resistant to all Weavile's attacks.

"Go Mawile! Attack with **Flamethrower**!"

Mawile continued to fire huge jet streams of fire at Weavile, who managed to dodge. But Domino knew that both ice and dark type attacks weren't effective against steel Pokémon. Still she had to try, if this mission went to hell Giovanni would have their heads.

"Wait a minute… duh! Weavile, use your **Focus Blast**!"

"Mawile, **Double Team**!"

Weavile fired a light blue ball of energy from its hands, but it struck the wrong Mawile.

"Damn it, Weavile, hit it with **Rock Smash**!"

Adena waited until Weavile was close enough.

"**Fire Fang**!"

Mawile grabbed Weavile with its huge jaws, which were on fire. It spun Weavile around and chucked it away.

"Now finish it with **Fire Blast**!"

Mawile fired a star-shaped burst of fire that struck Weavile dead-on.

"You want to play with fire? Let's see how you handle this! Go Flareon!"

"Flare!"

"Mawile, **Sandstorm**!"

Mawile threw its hands out and started spinning until it whipped up a huge sandstorm around the field.

"Flareon, bash that thing with your **Flame Charge**!"

Flareon engulfed it's body in flames and dashed at Mawile, but the sandstorm made it harder to see.

"Mawile, **Ancient Power**!"

"Flareon, **Double Team**!"

Mawile conjured a silver ball of energy and launched it, but it struck the wrong Flareon. This revealed it's position through the sandstorm.

"Flareon, **Fire Blast**!"

Mawile was struck by Flareon's attack and didn't get up.

"Go Raichu!"

"Rai!"

"Is that your best, an overgrown rat?"

As soon as Domino finished her sentence, Raichu suddenly looked very angry.

"Rai!"

"You called him a rat, you shouldn't have done that…" said Adena grinning.

"Rai! Rai! RAI!"

Raichu threw out its arms and its eyes started to glow a bright blue, then it's whole body was covered by an aura of the same color.

"What the…"

At that moment a huge wave appeared out of nowhere.

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!"

Raichu pulled out a surfboard and road the wave. Flareon tried to get away, but wasn't fast enough.

"Now Raichu, finish it with **Thunder**!"

"RAI-CHU!"

The water soaked battlefield served as a conductor, increasing the raw power of Raichu's attack even more. Flareon never stood a chance.

"Alright, no more Ms. Nice Girl!"

This time Domino pulled out three Poké Balls.

"Go Toxicroak, Alakazam, Salamence!"

"Alright, if that's the way you want to play it… Go Dragonite and Celebi!"

"Bi!"

"_What?! She has a Celebi too?! Where did this bimbo get two legendary Pokémon?! Not to mention a pink one!"_

Domino didn't have time to think about it. She needed to put an end to this.

"Toxicroak, **Earthquake**!"

Toxicroak jumped up and slammed its fist into the ground, sending out a huge shockwave, but all three of Adena's Pokémon leapt or flew into the air.

"Raichu, **Iron Tail**!"

Raichu's tail began to glow, and then it whacked Toxicroak in the face.

"Alakazam, attack Celebi with **Signal Beam**!"

"Celebi, **Protect**!"

Celebi shielded itself from Alakazam's attack and countered with Shadow Ball. Meanwhile Salamence and Dragonite were flying at each other with Dragon Rush.

"Dragonite, **Ice Beam**!"

Dragonite fired it's attack, but Salamence dodged.

"Salamence, **Dragon Claw**!"

"Celebi, **Psychic**!"

Before Salamence reached his target, he stopped in midair. Celebi then sent him flying towards Alakazam, but it stopped Salamence with its own Psychic attack.  
"Raichu, **Giga Impact**!"

Raichu charged at Toxicroak and sent him crashing into Alakazam, making him lose his focus and drop Salamence flat on his back.

"Celebi, Dragonite, finish them with **Hyper Beam**!"

When the attacks hit, the resulting explosion knocked Domino off her feet and crashing down on her face.

"Kill you… I'm going to fucking kill."

Before she could finish she heard a metallic click and found herself unable to move her arms or legs.

"You're under arrest for the murder of four G-Men."

The battle raged on for what seemed like an hour. Giovanni's orders were that no one was to return to the base without either Omegamoah or Misty, but the Rockets hadn't gotten their hands on either of them.

"We need more reinforcements!"

"There's no one left to send in!"

"WHAT?"

"We have to pull out!"

"Did you not hear Giovanni? We are not going anywhere until we have either Omegamoah or the girl!"

To be honest the Rocket didn't care much what his boss had said. Team Rocket was all but destroyed at this point and Giovanni was only one man.

"Fuck you! I'm gonna live!"

From where she was Adena could see that the battle was over and Misty had been unharmed. For a moment she had succeeded in changing history. As Ash and the others looked over the field of defeated Rockets, Omegamoah let out a loud roar.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

"Aww… No more?" asked James.

"Omegamoah, return. Since when do you guys know how to battle like that?" asked Ash.

"It's amazing what you can learn when you're not getting your ass kicked all the time." said Jessie.

"Oh my god! MISTY!"

"ASH!"

Ash ran over and the two embraced.

"Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine… we're both fine." she said placing her hand on her stomach "Thanks to Adena."

"Does that mean… is it over?" asked Ash.

Just then a shocking revelation hit Adena.

"No, something's not right… I'm still here…"

Just then all the Pokémon that were still out looked like they had the willies.

"You ever get the feeling that something **REALLY** bad is about to happen?" asked Meowth.

That's when the clear night sky was suddenly filled with storm clouds and violent lighting, and Adena heard a voice in her head that sent a chill down her spine.

"Adena…"

"No! Not him! Not him!"

"Adena, what is it?" asked Misty.

"IT'S HIM! HE'S HERE!"

"What are you people talking about?" asked Jessie.

BOOM!


	14. The Dark Lord

Suddenly the whole area became unseasonably cold and there was a big explosion of black light. When it faded there was a tall armored figure standing in the middle of the field.

"Who is that?" asked May

It took Ash a minute to remember the nightmare he had on the eve of his birthday.

"No… I can't be! This can't be real!"

"Who the hell is that?!"

Adena looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Xanrai…"

"Who?" asked Dawn.

"Misty, we need to get out here now!"

Xanrai must've heard Adena despite the distance, because his empty eyes flew in that direction. All of a sudden he vanished and reappeared right beside the group.

"Whoever you are, put your hands in the air!" exclaimed one of the nearby G-Men.

If Xanrai wasn't wearing a mask they would have seen him grin. He raised his hands and waved them. Just like that all the G-Men exploded, leaving a huge splatter of blood and body parts.

"HOLY SHIT!"

He reached out with his hand and sharply pulled it back. The next thing they knew Adena was sent flying through the air toward them. When he spoke his voice sounded as cold and unfeeling as a ghost. In fact he might as well have been a ghost for there wasn't even a shred of humanity left in him.

"You've made quite a mess of things Adena… "

"How is it possible that you're here?!"

"My dear Adena… It's like you don't know me at all… My spies are many; through them I learned of your little quest to undo the future that is mine."

"But how did you come back in time? Only Celebi or Dialga can manipulate it."

"It's quite simple; I knew that it would be fruitless to search for either legendary Pokémon since they didn't come to my aid when I needed them before. So I decided that if I couldn't find a Pokémon that could manipulate time, I'd make one instead. I tracked down your friend Mewtwo and had a little chat with him."

"What did you do to him?!"

"I persuaded him to share his expertise in cloning Pokémon. After that all I needed was a little strand of hair that your Celebi left behind."

A million things were going through Adena's mind at once. Without Mewtwo the resistance wouldn't have won half their battles. If Xanrai had a cloning machine then he could create an army of Omegamoahs, and the resistance had trouble when there was only one.

Xanrai looked at the bump on Misty's stomach. If he had even a shred of his past life left in him he would have broken down crying, but he gave up his humanity for power a long time ago. Now all he cared about was the security of his rule. He was one step away from becoming a god, so he didn't need an heir.

"As heartwarming as this conversation is… I have an agenda to keep. Never send old enemies to do your dirty work."

Xanrai raised his finger and electricity began dancing around it.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I WON'T LET YOU!" yelled Adena jumping in front of Misty "Don't you see, I can set you free!"

"What the hell are you people talking about?" asked Jessie.

Since he was the only one who had seen Xanrai before, Ash was the only one who could understand. Xanrai didn't want to risk exposing himself, otherwise he could pop right out of existence, so he spook to Adena using telepathy.

_"So that's what this is about? You think you can succeed where I failed, and in doing so save billions of meaningless lives and change me back… Ash Ketchum is dead, now stand aside."_

_"No!"_

_"Stand aside Adena..."_

_"You wouldn't… you don't have the guts."_

_"Do I?"_

BANG!

One minute Adena was standing there beside the others, and then she was on the ground with a big bloody hole in her breast.

"ADENA! NO!"

Adena was hanging on by a thread, a thread that was quickly unraveling.

_"He killed me… his own daughter… I thought I could save him… I've failed… I let them all down… Brock… Mewtwo… May… Dawn… Cynthia… Grandma… Mom… Daddy…"_

"_BIIIIIIII!"_

"_Celebi?"_

Adena hadn't released Celebi from her Poké Ball, but somehow she was hearing her voice. Everything was going dark fast, but through it Adena heard and saw a happy young couple playing with their children, a boy and a girl. Suddenly a last rush of hope flooded through her.

"ADENA! HANG ON! IT'S GONNA BE OKAY!"

_"_PIKA!"

Adena's sight and hearing were quickly failing her, but she could tell who was at her side.

"I… I… I… love… you… Da…dee."

"Almost breaks my heart… if I still had one."

Any doubt Ash had was shattered. His teenage daughter had just died in his arms. Over the course of the past few months Ash had found out that his father was alive and was an international criminal, he had become a pariah, he had gotten Misty pregnant, and now the bubble popped.

"How dare you… HOW DARE YOU! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Ash, he'll kill you too!"

Xanrai wasn't going to admit it, but Misty was wrong. Killing his past self would only guarantee that he would never exist. He was going to have to bluff him.

"Ignorant worm! I have destroyed millions for less!"

"If you're so powerful, then you won't mind proving it!"

Now Xanrai was actually laughing, and it made everyone shiver.

"And why should I waste my time with an insignificant cur like you?"

Ash didn't care that this guy was from the future, he didn't care that he had just killed over half a dozen men with a wave of his hands, he didn't care that any Pokémon he may have brought with him were probably infinitely more powerful than his, he was going to make him pay.

"Are we going to fight, or are you a coward."

Xanrai could just zap Misty and be done with it, but by the looks of things Ash might need a little extra motivation to become the man he was destined to become. Crushing the Pokémon he had spent so much time training against Omegamoah might just do the trick.

"Very well… I accept your foolish challenge."

Ash didn't know how the hell he was going to win, but as long as his Pokémon had breath in their bodies he was going to make this monster pay for what he did to his daughter. Suddenly…

"What in the…"

The Omega Ball began to shake and crackle with energy, and then a huge burst fired out of it and struck all the other Poké Balls on Ash's belt and Pikachu. Even Xanrai looked surprised.

"What trickery is this?!" exclaimed Xanrai.

"Pikachu, are you okay?"

Pikachu was bathed in an eerie red glow, but he was actually smiling.

"Pi-ka-chu!"

Max, who had finally snapped out of shock, was with fiddling with something he had pulled out of his pocket.

"Ash! I don't know what happened, but Pikachu's power just went through the roof!"

_"Omegamoah must be giving them a boost! Now that's what I call being a team player."_

Xanrai didn't know Omegamoah had this power. He wondered what other powers he might be hiding. But that would have to wait until he returned to the future.

"Are you sure you're okay Pikachu?"

"Pi-ka!"

"Okay then… let's kick my ass..."


	15. Ash vs Xanrai

"Since you're clearly at a disadvantage boy, I'll go first."

Xanrai conjured a wicked looking Poké Ball out of thin air.

"I choose Celebi."

The Celebi that emerged from Xanrai's Poké Ball was very pale.

"That doesn't look anything like Adena's."

"We can micromanage later." said Ash "Right now I've got a battle to win. Go Snorlax!"

When Snorlax emerged from his Poké Ball he was covered in the same eerie red glow as Pikachu.

"He may have a fraction of Omegamoah's power, but against me all that makes him is a very strong ball of lard." hissed Xanrai "Celebi, toss this pitiful obstacle aside with your **Psychic**!"

Xanrai's Celebi seemed to be straining itself while trying to lift Snorlax. It was only a matter of moments before it gave up.

"What?"

"You're going to have to do better than that." said Ash "Snorlax, use your **Flamethrower**!"

"SNOOOOR-LAAX!"

"What did he eat?" asked Dawn.

"Just be glad it came out his mouth." said Brock.

"Celebi, use your** Super Power**!"

Celebi glowed a dark purple color and slammed into Snorlax's gut.

"That's impossible! Celebi doesn't have a Super Power attack!" said Max.

"Normally yes, but there are ways of bending the rules."

Ash's father had found ways to teach Pokémon moves they normally weren't capable of learning. Perhaps sometime in the future Xanrai got him to spill the beans.

"Snorlax, use your **Blizzard**!"

Snorlax opened his mouth and shot a blizzard at Celebi. For a moment Celebi struggled to stay in the air, but then it just gave out. For some reason Xanrai wasn't fazed.

"Hmm… it seems as though there was a problem in the cloning process… I will correct that when I have more time." said Xanrai recalling Celebi.

"_Time is one thing you don't have. For Adena's sake I'm going to bring you down!"_

"I choose Metagross!"

Xanrai's Metagross was just as dark and twisted as the augmented Pokémon Ash's father had used. Ash was beginning to understand what Arceus had told him the night he saw him in his dream.

_"Your intentions are of no matter… Even the noblest of beings can be corrupted by the desire for greater power. You must be cautious, or you will descend down the same dark path as your father…"_

"Metagross, use your **Hammer Arm**!"

Metagross' arm began to glow, and then he slammed it into Snorlax's gut. Normally Snorlax was too soft for any direct blow to his belly to do any really damage, but this time he let out a cry of pain.

"Now end this with your **Hyper Beam**!"

Metagross fired a freakishly huge Hyper Beam that sent Snorlax flying. He left a huge crater when he hit the ground. Suddenly the red glow around Snorlax faded, but there would be time to think about that later.

"I choose you, Charizard!"

Charizard was covered in the same red glow as Ash's other Pokémon. He let out a loud roar signifying how much he was enjoying the sudden surge of power.

"Alright Charizard, melt that thing with your** Heat Wave**!"

A red-orange ball appeared in Charizard's mouth, and it released a wind of flames at Metagross.

"Metagross, use your **Psyshock**!"

Charizard was blown back by Metagross' attack but he was quickly back on his feet.

"Charizard, **Flamethrower!**"

After Charizard's attack Metagross was beginning to look really red.

"Metagross, use your **Meteor Mash**!"

Meteor Mash was one of the most powerful attacks in Metagross' arsenal, but it only did half the damage because Charizard was a fire type.

"Charizard, finish that thing with your **Blast Burn**!"

Charizard shot Metagross with an insanely huge burst of fire, and the creature fell to the ground with a loud metallic clang.

"So this is what the big bad Dark Lord is supposed to be? Not too impressive."

"Ignorant mortal! I will crush you beneath my heel!"

"Okay, go ahead, waste me… if you can."

Xanrai did his best to make sure no one could hear him growl.

"I thought so."

"I choose Hydreigon!"

"GYEEEAAAAARGH!"

"Holy crap! What is that thing?" exclaimed May pulling out her Pokédex.

"_Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokémon, the evolved form of Zweilous. This Pokémon travels the skies on its six wings. The heads on its arms do not have brains. It uses all three heads to consume and destroy everything. Anything that moves seems like a foe to it, triggering its attack."_

"That sounds like a barrel of fun." said Dawn.

Xanrai wasn't using any of the Pokémon Ash had caught to date. He had a feeling he didn't want to know what would become of them in the future if things remained as they were.

"Hydreigon, use your **Dark Pulse**!"

Hydreigon's three heads fired shots of dark energy from their mouths and struck Charizard's chest.

"VROOOOAAR!"

"Charizard, use your **Dragon Pulse**!"

Charizard fired a huge turquoise ball of energy, but Hydreigon dodged it.

"Charizard, try your **Outrage**!"

Hydreigon moved way too fast for Charizard to keep up. It wasn't long before the fatigue from the attack left Charizard confused.

"Hydriegon, **Stone Edge**!"

Hydriegon conjured several sharp rocks and fired them at Charizard.

"Now finish it with your **Hydro Cannon**!"

Hydriegon fired a huge blast of water from his mouth and sent Charizard flying.

"An attack he shouldn't be capable of learning… Why am I not surprised?"

Charizard was one of Ash's best Pokémon, but Ash still had others in his party that could take down a dragon.

"Go Feraligatr!"

"Gaaaa-tor!"

"Feraligatr, use your **Ice Beam**!"

"Hydriegon, **Thunderbolt**!"

The two attacks collided and exploded, both Feraligatr and Druddigon were blown back.

"Feraligatr, **Aqua Jet**!"

Feraligatr's body was surrounded by water, then he shot through the air and tackled Hydriegon.

"Now hit it with your **Water Pulse**!"

Feraligatr's attack must've left Hydriegon confused. He fired another Charge Beam, but missed completely.

"Now Feraligatr, **Ice Beam**!"

Hydriegon was struck dead-on and frozen solid.

Xanrai hated to admit it, but it had been a long time since he had been in an actual Pokémon battle. He had been too busy ruling whatever lands he had conquered with an iron fist, and the few trainers that were brave enough to challenge him were way out of their league. But the Dark Lord wasn't troubled because he hadn't popped out of existence yet. Either he was going to win, or the outcome of this battle was irrelevant.

"I choose Zoroark!"

"A Zoroark?" exclaimed Max.

"Yes, and he has plenty of bite to go with his bark. Zoroark, use your **Focus Blast**!"

"Feraligatr, Aqua Jet!"

Feraligatr dodged the attack and charged toward Zoroark.

"Now hit it with your Superpower!"

Feraligatr's attack found it's mark, but Zoroark just vanished into thin air.

"Damn, it's an illusion!"

Zoroark, suddenly appeared in front of Feraligatr and slashed him across the chest with his claws.

"**Thunder Punch**!"

Somehow Xanrai had taught this beast electric attacks. It struck Feraligatr once in the gut, and once in the face, taking him out of commission.

"Go Garchomp!"

"GAAAAAAAR!"

"Zoroark, **Agility**!"

"Garchomp, **Dragon Rush**!"

Garchomp and Zoroark continued to dash at each other repeatedly and slashed at each other with with their claws, but Garchomp never knew if it was really Zoroark or an illusion.

"Alright… let's see you dodge this! Garchomp, **Earthquake**!"

Garchomp shot up into the air and slammed into the ground, creating a huge shockwave that knocked Zoroark flat.

"Now finish it with **Draco Meteor**!"

Garchomp fired an orange ball from his mouth that exploded in the air and sent multiple meteors raining down on Zoroark.

"Come forth… Darkrai!"

"Darkrai?!"

"The Pokémon that causes nightmares?!"

"The very same… I'm always coming up with new ways to have people provide me with information, and Darkrai's abilities often come in handy. Darkrai, **Hypnosis**!"

For someone who was supposed to be an evil dictator from the future, Ash thought that Xanrai's move was really cheap.

"Pikachu, it looks like you're up."

Xanrai looked at Pikachu with the same emotionless eyes as he had for the others. It was amazing how even the one person in the world you felt you could trust could turn out to be the first person to turn on you.

"Darkrai, **Hypnosis**!"

"Pikachu, counter shield!"

All Darkrai's signature abilities would only work if his opponents were asleep, but Ash had taught his Pokémon a way to prevent hypnosis from working years ago. Of course it probably wouldn't hold up against Darkrai's Dark Void, but Xanrai figured that if Ash was going to be properly motivated he was going to need to go with something a lot more brutal.

"Darkrai, use your **Dark Pulse**!"

Darkrai continued to barrage Pikachu with attacks like Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball. But with the boost from Omegamoah, Pikachu was moving like a lightning bolt.

"**Thunder Bolt**!"

"**Dark Pulse**!"

The attacks collided and caused an explosion. Pikachu used the opportunity to get behind Darkrai.

"**Volt Tackle**!"

Pikachu rammed into Darkrai with the force of a freight train.

"Now finish it with **Thunder**!"

"PI-KA-CHUUUUU!"

Despite all their training, Pikachu never became this powerful in Xanrai's time, none of his old Pokémon did. He was curious to see how much the future was going to change when this was all over.

"Come forth, Rayquaza!"

The Rayquaza that appeared looked even more terrifying than the Black Charizard.

"That thing's on steroids!" exclaimed May.

"Pikachu, come back."

"Pi?"

"Your electric attacks aren't going to do much against that thing, so why don't we skip right to the main event?"

Pikachu took another look at the gargantuan Rayquaza before him and nodded.

"Time to see what the big guy himself can do. Go Omegamoah!"

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

Pikachu gave Omegamoah a high-five, and the power left him. The last time Xanrai saw Omegamoah alive was when he had begun to launch an assault on the Sinnoh Region. Just like Kanto and Johto the locals proved to be too stubborn for their own good, but to avoid losing too many of assets most of their offense had been built around Omegamoah. What he didn't take into account was that Cynthia had discovered a weak spot in his armor and killed him. Xanrai wouldn't risk killing Omegamoah because he knew he would need him in the years to come. Sure Omegamoah had already been killed in the time from which he came, but when he returned he would make an army using Mewtwo's cloning technology, and then when the resistance was crushed he was going to build an empire that would last for all time.

"His power may have saved you thus far boy, but this is as far as you will get."

"Rayquaza, **Focus Blast**!"

Much to everyone's surprise Omegamoah caught the attack with his bare hands and tossed it aside.

"Omegamoah, use your** Ice Beam**!"

Omegamoah opened his mouth and fired.

"**Protect**!"

When Omegamoah's attack hit the barrier it cracked, but it was still strong enough to withstand the assault.

"Whoa…" said Max.

"Now counter with your **Ice Beam**!"

At the range he was at there was no time for Omegamoah to dodge. He let out a cry of pain when he was struck by the beam. This was because in his base form he was a half dark and dragon type. But thanks to his ability to adapt he had turned into a half ghost and half ice type.

"Omegamoah, attack with **Dragon Pulse**!"

"Rayquaza, **Double Team**!"

Omegamoah's attack missed.

"Now counter with **Fire Blast**!"

"Omegamoah, use your **Mirror Coat**!"

"Rayquaza, **Extreme Speed**!"

The attack was successfully reflected back at Rayquaza, but he dodged it.

"**Ice Beam**!"

"Omegamoah, dodge with your **Extreme Speed **and counter with **Ice Punch**!"

Omegamoah's attack struck Rayquaza to the ground.

"**Ice Beam!**"

Rayquaza struck Omegamoah again, and this time it froze him solid.

"Victory is mine!"

"I don't think so… Omegamoah, **Flame Wheel**!"

Omegamoah's body was engulfed in fire and he was instantly thawed. Then his mouth started foaming.

"Here comes **Omega Shockwave**!"

Omegamoah sent out a huge purple shockwave that struck Rayquaza and he was paralyzed on the spot. Omegamoah saw his chance and started gathering energy.

"EVERYONE RUN! OMEGAMOAH IS USING THE DEATH BEAM!"

"RUN WHERE? HE'LL KILL US ALL!"

"OMEGAMOAH DON'T!"

BOOM!


	16. The End Of A Very Long Day

"Misty! Are you okay? Misty!"

As soon as his head stopped spinning Ash saw that Adena's Suicune was standing in front of the group. He had used his Protect to shield them from harm. He looked around and saw that once again Omegamoah must've restrained himself and not fired the Death Beam at full power, otherwise the whole field would've become ground zero.

"Misty!"

Ash ran over to the place where Misty was. She had a few scratches, but there was no blood anywhere.

"I think we're okay."

"What happened to Xanrai?"

When the smoke cleared Xanrai was lying flat on the ground a few feet away from his defeated Rayquaza.

"Is he dead?"

"I don't know."

"Everybody be careful, this is the part where the bad guy comes back to life for a few minutes."

"Max, this is not a movie."

Suddenly Xanrai's hand twitched.

BANG!

"Damn! Sniper! Get down!"

There were at least three more shots. Xanrai stopped twitching, and then…

**BOOM!**

"What was that?!"

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

Huge explosion erupted out of nowhere, but there was no fire and smoke, only force and color.

"THE SKY IS CRACKING!"

Meowth wasn't kidding. As the earth rumbled and the explosions erupted, it looked like the very sky was beginning to crack.

"WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!" exclaimed Dawn.

"WHO WAS THAT GUY, AND WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!" yelled Jessie

"THAT GUY WAS FROM THE FUTURE! I THINK THAT BY SAVING MISTY'S BABY, WE'VE CREATED A TIME PARADOX!" said Max "NOW THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM IS COLLAPSING!"

"I TAKE IT THAT'S BAD?!" asked May trying to make her voice audible over all the noise.

"WELL, REALITY IS FALLING APART AROUND US, SO YEAH, I WOULD CALL THAT BAD!"

Suddely two huge portals were ripped open, and the field was met with two earth shattering roars.

"IT'S DIALGA AND PALKIA!" exclaimed Dawn.

Dialga and Palkia were both radiating with power, but even they struggled against the force of the collapsing time stream, still they pushed back.

"I THINK THEY'RE TRYING TO USE THEIR POWERS TO REPAIR THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUMM!"

"CAN THEY?!"

"I CERTAINLY HOPE SO!"

Everyone crowded around Omegamoah, who used his Protect to shield them from the oncoming assault. Ash held Misty close as the world seemed to collapse around them, and then…

**KA-BOOM!**

When Ash opened his eyes he was standing alone in a white void.

"MISTY! MISTY! Pikachu! May! Dawn! Brock! Anybody?"

"Bi!"

"Celebi? Adena!"

Ash couldn't believe it, but there was Adena alive and well. He ran over and gave her a hug.

"How is this possible?"

"Well, when grandpa killed Xanrai he nearly destroyed the totality of existence by creating a time paradox, so everything is a little upside down and inside out right now."

"Grandpa? You mean…"

"Yep, believe it or not he actually went out of his way to save your baby."

"What happened to Misty and the others?"

"Just give it a minute, thanks to Dialga and Palkia the timeline is trying to repair itself. It'll be just like none of this ever happened."

"Will we remember any of this?"

"Probably not."

"Wait! I don't want to forgot you!"

"Do you really want to remember your teenage daughter dying in your arms?"

"You make a fantastic point."

"And don't worry… you'll see me again… in a much better world than the one I left behind."

Ash couldn't hold back the tears.

"Thank you for saving me."

"I'd do anything for you daddy."

Adena gave her father a kiss on the cheek, and then there was a bright flash of color

As Ash and the others looked over the field of defeated Rockets, Omegamoah let out a loud roar.

"GYAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH!"

"Aww… No more?" asked James.

"Omegamoah, return. Since when do you guys know how to battle like that?" asked Ash.

"It's amazing what you can learn when you're not getting your ass kicked all the time." Said Jessie.

"Oh my god! MISTY!"

"ASH!"

Ash ran over and the two embraced.

"Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine… we're both fine." she said placing her hand on her stomach.

"FOR TEAM ROCKET!"

BANG!

Ash turned just in time to see a rouge rocket get a gun shot out of his hands.

"SNIPER! GET DOWN!"

Ash and the others waited until the G-Men said everything was clear.

"Let's… go home."

After being assured by the G-Men that it would only be a matter of time before Giovanni

was back behind bars where he belonged, Ash and the others left for Pallet. When they made it home that evening Ash and Misty found a note on their bed waiting for them.

_**I may have done a lot of things you aren't proud of, but I'll be damned if some lunatic hops out of wormhole and thinks he can kill my grandchild.**_

"I know he probably saved our baby, but I hate him." said Ash "Now that we know about Omegamoah's special power, maybe next time I see him I'll be able to wipe the floor with him."

"So I guess this means you can finally take a break from training."

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't matter since in all likelihood I'm going to be suspended from the league."

"It's just a trophy Ash."

"I know… besides."

Ash put his hand on Misty's stomach.

"Something tells me that by this time next year… I'll still feel like a winner."


	17. Epilogue

Nine months later Misty gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, which she affectionately named Kai. Because of their little indiscretion Ash was suspended from the league, but since he took responsibility for his actions he was welcomed back the following year and regained his championship title from Kamilla. Not long after that Misty found out that she was pregnant again.

"Congratulations, it's a girl."

The sight of Misty holding their baby girl for the first time was worth more to Ash than all the Pokémon League trophies in the world.

"Your sisters will be pleased." he joked "What's our beautiful little girl's name?"

"Adena…"

"Adena… I love it."

It was late at night when Adena was born, so she was going to have to wait until tomorrow to meet everyone. Ash and Misty couldn't wait to introduce her to her big brother, but that night she received a very special visitor.

"Bi!"

Though Adena and her parents didn't know it yet, their future looked very bright.

**The End**


End file.
